3 Tips for Hiring the Right People—and 2 Traps To Avoid
One of the most costly mistakes for small business owners
is making a bad hiring decision. Losing the money spent on
recruiting, the time to interview the candidates, and the
time and cost spent on employee training are a few of the
major profit-squeezers that result from hiring mistakes.
Some entrepreneurs attempt to reduce risk by hiring family
or friends-which in most cases proves to be the worst
hiring mistake of all. It is difficult for most people to
accept the relationship transition from family member to
employee. Most often, those friendships will end in
resentment and disappointment. When a veteran small
business owner tells you, “Never hire family!” you can bet
he’s learned the hard way.
With a little skill and guidance, small business owners can
learn much about potential candidates by understanding
resumes. When reading resumes, there are three great
things to look for-and two traps to watch out for.
When reading a resume, the three things to look for are:
1. Industry experience
You’ll make shortcuts in new employee training if your new
hire has previous experience in your industry. You will
see a faster return on investment with your new employee
when he or she already understands what your customers
want. Prior industry experience also means he or she may
have a business following that will result in added revenue
for your business.
Ten Tips for the Interview Follow Up
Not getting a follow-up call when promised is a very common
occurrence. Candidates are sometimes sure that they aced
the interview and are perfect for the position, in fact
they are anticipating a call and an offer. But instead they
get “nothing.” No offer; no call. They never hear from the
company. This is not only frustrating, but reflects poorly
on the company. In fact it is rude. What can you do about
this situation? Here are some tips on how to handle the
follow up that may save you from some anxiety.
1. Try to find out about the decision-process before you
leave the interview. Ask when you could expect to hear
back. Take that date and then add a few days before you
start to worry.
2. Always send a follow up addressing any concerns you may
have picked up or any thoughts you had about the position
since the interview. Think of this as one more chance to
put yourself in front of them.
Is It Time To Update Your Resume?
The motto “Be prepared,” isn’t just great advice for Boy
Scouts; it’s also great career advice. You never know when
the perfect career opportunity will present itself. If a
recruiter called you today with your dream job, are you
prepared to send out an up-to-date resume right away?
There are four critical times to update your resume:
* At least once a year
* Any time your career focus changes
* When you anticipate layoffs with your company
* When you begin to feel dissatisfied with your current
position
1. Update your resume every year.
This is where many people fall short. When that recruiter
calls with the perfect job, you may suddenly find your
resume is years out of date, and you’ll have to scramble to
catch up.
Keep your resume current by including your best
accomplishments each year. Don’t count on your memory to
recall everything you achieved in years past! You are
likely to overlook critical achievements and contributions.
If you need assistance, a resume coach may be able to help
you through the process with some targeted questions on
your most recent jobs.
Formatting Your Press Release
Once you know the basics involved in writing a Press Release, you’ll find it’s a pretty simple process to put one together. In fact, if you conform to “industry standards” and include the information that reporters and editors are expecting to find, your press release stands a very good chance of actually being used.
Here are the formatting rules you need to follow:
Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. As you can see, it’s much more difficult to read that way.
Always follow the rules of grammar and style. Errors in grammar and style affect your credibility. Excessive errors will cause your press release to be rejected.
Don’t use HTML. When sending your press release to online Media, do not embed HTML or other markup languages in it. Including such formatting will negatively impact the readability of your press release.
Use more than one paragraph. If you can say everything in only a few sentences, then chances are you do not have a newsworthy story. (*Note: You may hear that your press release should “never” be more than one page long. I have found that a press release should be as long as it takes to tell your story. If that means one and a-half or two pages, then that’s how long it should be. Do your best to keep it short and sweet, but don’t take out important information just to make it fit on one page.)
Micromanagement: Killing Employee Morale
Employee morale is something that no business can ignore.
It is something that greatly impacts employee performance,
especially in a sales environment. Sales environments can,
by their very nature, be very stressful and it falls to the
managers to ensure that morale is kept up and performance
optimized. Many managers are aware of this and create
performance related incentives to their sales staff,
including bonuses, nights out or even weekends away. While
this can be a very positive way of improving employee
morale, many managers are unaware how their day to day
behaviour impacts their sales staff, thereby effectively
nullifying the positive boost the incentives create.
The reason for this is that many sales managers still use
micromanagement as what they perceive to be an effective
management tool. This is a method that just does not work.
Contrary to what the managers are attempting to do, their
micromanagement results in poor morale and disheartened
employees.
It is all too common for sales staff to be faced with
managers who will lean over their shoulder every morning to
pick apart their daily activities, frequently commenting
and criticising on the lack of sales made before bombarding
the salesperson with phrases like, “You need to make more
calls”. Following this, salespeople are confronted with
requests for hourly updates on their activities and
criticism when they have not completed certain tasks.
Customer Service: A Missing Skill?
You have to make more sales! This is the message that is
drilled into every salesperson’s mind on a daily basis.
Usually they’re expected to achieve this through cold
calling and other age-old techniques in a hope that they
will be able to make a sale. However, this single-minded
focus on sales figures tends to leave the customer unhappy
and unwilling to buy from the salesperson a second time.
How is this possible since they successfully sold the first
time?
The answer is not, as you may think, in the product or
service. The reason for this customer dissatisfaction is
that many salespeople are excellent at selling, promising
unparalleled service but are unable to meet customer
expectations. There is such a single-minded focus on making
a minimum of 50+ calls per day, but how much time does that
really leave for a salesperson to deliver? The need to make
so many calls in a day leads to an ineffective use of a
salespersons time. Yes, they may make a sale but it is
vital for salespeople to adapt their methods to focus on
long term client relationships.
10 Killer Job Interview Questions and Answers
Behind every interview question
If you’ve written your resume well, you’re already off to a head start because you should have already thought about a lot of these interview questions and answers in your own mind. If you’re looking for a job that pays more than $100k check out Beyond.com
Q#1 – How long have you been looking for a job? (Concern – is there something wrong with you that other employers have picked up?)
A#1 – “After I was laid off from my last job, I took the opportunity to take some time out to examine my career goals and where I was going with my life. I have just begun my search in the last few weeks. I have a definite goal in mind and have been selective about the positions I consider. Your company and this position are of great interest to me.”
Q#2 – How did you prepare for this interview? (Concern – are you interested enough to do some research, or are you going to “wing it”?)
A#2 – “When I found this position posted on the internet (monster.com) I was immediately interested. I checked out the company website and mission statement, looked at the bios of company founders and executives, and was impressed. Once I had the interview appointment, I talked with friends and acquaintances in the industry. And, I’m sure I’ll find out a lot more in today’s meetings.”
Q#3 – What is your salary expectation for this job? (Concern – Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than budgeted?)
A#3 - “I’ll need more information about the job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for this position?”
Q#4 - How do you keep current and informed about your job and the industries that you have worked in? (Concern – Once you get the job do you continue to learn and grow – stay challenged and motivated?)
A#4 - “I pride myself on my ability to stay on top of what is happening in my industry. I do a lot of reading – the business section of the newspapers and magazines. I belong to a couple of professional organizations and network with colleagues at the meetings. I take classes and seminars whenever they are of interest, or offer new information or technology.”
Q#5 - Tell me about a time when you had to plan and coordinate a project from start to finish. (Concern – behavioral questions – seeking an example of specific past behavior)
A#5 - ” I headed up a project which involved customer service personnel and technicians. I organized a meeting to get everyone together to brainstorm and get his or her input. From this meeting I drew up a plan, taking the best of the ideas. I organized teams, balancing the mixture of technical and non-technical people. We had a deadline to meet, so I did periodic checks with the teams. After three weeks, we were exceeding expectations, and were able to begin implementation of the plan. It was a great team effort, and a big success. I was commended by management for my leadership, but I was most proud of the team spirit and cooperation which it took to pull it off.”
Q#6 - What kinds of people do you have difficulties working with? (Concern – ability to be flexible and work in a diverse environment?)
A#6 - “In my last three jobs I have worked with men and women from very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The only time I had difficulty was with people who were dishonest about work issues. I worked with one woman who was taking credit for work that her team accomplished. I had an opportunity to talk with her one day and explained how she was affecting the morale. She became very upset that others saw her that way, and said she was unaware of her behavior or the reactions of others. Her behavior changed after our talk. What I learned from that experience is that sometimes what we perceive about others is not always the case if we check it out.”
Q#7 - We expect managers to work more than 8 hours a day. Do you have a problem with that? (Concern – are you a work-aholic or a person who requires balance?)
A#7 - “I have no problem working long hours. I have worked 12 or 14 hour days. What I have found works for me is to work smarter, not necessarily longer. My goal is to get the job done, whatever that takes, in the most efficient manner.”
Q#8 - When have you been most satisfied in your career? (Concern – what motivates you? Or demotivates you?)
A#8 - “The job before the one I am currently at, was my most rewarding experience for me. I worked in a wonderful team environment. There was a lot of camaraderie. I worked with a team of four people and we did some really original thinking. It is that kind of environment I want to be involved in again.”
Q#9 - Why do you want this job? (Concern – are you using the shot-gun approach to job search or do you really know what you want?)
A#9 – “I’ve been very careful about the companies where I have applied. When I saw the ad for this position, I knew I found what I was looking for. What I can bring to this job is my seven years of experience, and knowledge of the industry, plus my ability to communicate and build customer relationships. That, along with my flexibility and organizational skills, makes me a perfect match for this position. I see some challenges ahead of me here, and that’s what I thrive on. I have what you need, and you have what I want.”
Q#10 - We are ready to make an offer. Are you ready to accept today? (Concern – we don’t want you to go away and think about it and change your mind – we want you.)
A#10 - “Based on my research and the information I have gathered during the interview process, I feel I am in a position to consider an offer. I do, however, have a personal policy that I give myself at least 24 hours to make major life decisions. I could let you know by tomorrow.”
There is no way you can accurately predict the questions that will be asked in an interview, but you can be ready and prepared by thinking about the factors that might concern an interviewer or employer before the interview.
Practice Job Interview Questions and Answers for Success
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Carole Martin, America’s #1 Interview Coach, is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor. Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy of her FREE 9-part “Interview Success Tips” report by visiting Carole on the web at The Interview Coach http://www.interviewcoach.com
14 Reasons Small Businesses Need a Brand Identity System
Business and marketing experts urge small business owners to “brand” their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials – a brand identity system. But they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. A logo and consistent marketing materials can increase your sales and revenue, because they convey the following
impressions:
1. To convey that you are established. A logo and
professionally-printed materials show that you are
committed to both your business and your clients. It also
makes you look like you’ve been around for some time, and
that you’re stable.
2. To attract more clients. Some clients look for a
well-defined company, and “look and feel” may be one of
their criteria in making a purchasing decision.
3. Others are “wowed” by professional-looking materials,
and your logo may impress them into buying.
4. To increase your credibility. A logo makes you look
experienced and professional, and can go a long way towards
making your business appear credible. And, if you’d like to
be known as an expert in your field, this type of
credibility is the first thing you have to establish.
5. To be more memorable. Forty percent of people better
remember what they see than what they hear or read. So
having graphics associated with your business and having
consistent graphics on your business materials make you
more likely to come to the forefront of potential clients’
minds when they have a need for your goods or services.
Three Brand Identity Myths That Will Bring Your Business Down
“Brand identity” is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic brand identity kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a Web site, brochure, folder, flyer, or any other professionally designed pieces.
Having a brand identity is extremely important to your
business’s success. However, many business owners have
misconceptions about brand identities that can damage their
businesses.
My cousin/coworker/friend can design my brand identity
There are some very significant areas of your business that
should be left to the professionals. First of all, while
your cousin may have been “great in art class,” this does
not mean that she has the knowledge and expertise required
to create great graphic designs. Designing a logo, business
card, or Web site is much different than painting a picture
or making a collage. You must make a brand logo scalable,
meaningful, and symbolic.
