Why? Because I don’t want to do this all over [...]]]>

The HR Manager at the company you just applied for isn’t the gatekeeper. That manager is your friend. Not in a “lets get coffee” sort of way, but rather a “if you are the right candidate, this person will kill themselves to get you hired”sort of way.

Why?
Because I don’t want to do this all over again.

Its taken a lot of time to make everything happen when I am looking for great talent, time I can’t get back, so why would I want to interview or hire the wrong person, and have to start over?

If you’ve submitted your resume, wait 2 weeks. If you haven’t heard from me, send one follow-up email, or make one phone call. I’ll tell you what’s going on, and where in the process your resume is sitting. I’ll give you the straightest skinny I have. I won’t lie about this.

Why?
Because there are 100 reasons I might not have called you in the first place. And if you turn out to be the right candidate, I’m not starting our business relationship off with a lie. And because its bad for business to have a customer hate me. (Logically, if you would work for me, you could potentially be our customer)

But.
If I tell you you are not in the running for the position. Believe me.
Again, I have no reason to lie to you.
Calling every day/week won’t help. It doesn’t make you “assertive”, it makes you seem desperate. And I ask myself “Why is this person hanging their career on my one job opening?”

Companies hire great candidates every day. If your resume seems lost in an abyss, or if the managers are unresponsive, you want to look at the company with a critical eye. Those processes in the “before hire” are the same ones you’ll work with in the “after hire”.

Great matches are tough to make, and usually there are many stakeholders involved. HR is the manager of that process. We aren’t someone to “get around”. Hiring you makes my job easier, and if you are the rockstar we’re looking for, I’m going to do everything I can to get you in the door. You can bank on it.

Jake Sully: Former Marine, twin brother to a scientist trained in the Na’vi language, and hired to go to Pandora for the Avatar mission. The corporation has grown an avatar specifically for the brother, at the cost of millions of dollars and months of time.

Jake Sully has buried his brother, and becomes [...]]]>

Looking beyond the Resume

Jake Sully: Former Marine, twin brother to a scientist trained in the Na’vi language, and hired to go to Pandora for the Avatar mission. The corporation has grown an avatar specifically for the brother, at the cost of millions of dollars and months of time.

Jake Sully has buried his brother, and becomes his replacement on the mission. Why?

Because they share the same DNA, and he’ll “fit” in the Avatar. And he’s a trained Marine, so at least there’s that bonus. Another warrior. With no training, no real knowledge of what he’s about to do… he heads to Pandora.

Oh, did I mention Jake is a disabled Marine, not the sharpest tool in the shed, in a wheelchair, with absolutely no use of his legs and carrying a rather heavy chip on his shoulder? He’s now least likely to succeed on a hostile alien planet in a highly scientific environment, right?

Jake may have been picked for this mission solely because he shared his brother’s DNA, and because the corporation really didn’t want to grow another Avatar on short notice, but he becomes an integral part of the program. He is the guiding force behind the plot, because once he reaches Pandora, his superiors are able to look past his resume. Some to exploit, but others because they recognized skills. He becomes a leader.

In HR, as talent managers, we’ve all had rough resumes cross our desks, or met someone, immediately sized them up, and pigeonholed them into a job because this is what their background was… and we’ve all had to change our minds, because people are more than their resumes, more than our initial assumptions.

In my career I’ve met several people like this, People whom I initially put in a box because I’d seen their file, because I listened to their supervisors, or because somehow there’d been a bad first impression. Once I got to know these people, once I saw their talents, and a few of them, wow, did they have some talent, I had to change my mind, I had to look beyond the resume.

Skill, expertise, leadership, motivation. All of these traits can be masked by communication problems, leadership failures, or a lack of proper job fit. And all of them can be resolved if we, as astute HR practitioners, look at employees or candidates for who they are, if we have honest conversations with them, and their leaders, and at least for me, if I listen to my gut.

Do you have examples of people for whom you looked past the resume?
Or maybe a failure for the Junkyard?

Have you ever wondered what value you bring to your organization? Do you feel as if your contributions make a difference? The responses to [...]]]>

In the Spirit of Giving for The HR Carnival of Global Giving,  Ruth Estwick, our wonderful @HRstalker puts up a guest post. I thank her for her generosity, and time.

Have you ever wondered what value you bring to your organization? Do you feel as if your contributions make a difference? The responses to these are questions, I believe, are good indicators of both what motivates you and how you are recognized at work.

It baffles me that managers don’t realize how far a simple thank you can go. If our focus as managers was weighted more towards the people we manage rather than the tasks, perhaps we would enjoy increased productivity. Of course, creating a culture that recognizes employees is ultimately the responsibility of senior management; but I can’t help but think that the managers that work directly with the employees have the most leverage and opportunity to recognize staff directly. Simply put; employees want recognition from their managers.

I once implemented an amazing concept, a ground-breaking idea, and an enormous leap for our organization: ready for it….it was a recognition ceremony. It was something we had never done in that particular organization. We were already gathering the staff to present yet another cash award to a sales rep and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have one individual from each department be recognized in front of their peers. The cost was minimal: the forum was already set; the awards themselves were created internally and personalized with three specific achievements for each employee. For an added touch, they were autographed by the manager and the CEO and then framed.

I know, I know; it’s hard to believe I’m in HR and not rocket science.

What was astonishing to me, was what happened in the planning stages. For the most part, it was an amazing revelation for most managers and they were completely onside with the concept but there were managers that didn’t think it was a good idea to recognize their staff. Yes, that’s what I said. Not a good idea to recognize their staff. The very people that make them look good.

These particular managers claimed two things:

1) that their staff did not want to be publicly recognized and it would be embarrassing for them to accept an award in front of their peers

2) and that recognizing only one employee in each department showed extreme favouritism

Then it came to me. We, as senior managers create and cultivate the environment in which we work. Recognition and appreciation is not something that comes from HR, it stems from the culture. In an environment where recognition is not part of the culture, it really is non existent; the employees don’t expect it and the managers don’t give it or generalize about it. “Thanks for all your hard work”. When you don’t feel valued, even as a manager, what generally happens? As HR professionals, we all know the answer to that question. We must walk the talk; recognize our own managers and create the desired environment.

The end result of my story? A simple recognition ceremony had a significant impact on the people of the organization. Almost instantly, even if only for the moment, morale increased. Employees were overjoyed that we recognized individual contributors; people who deserved it and made a difference. There was no jealousy or embarrassment. There were only feelings of appreciation.

I guess my point is simple; appreciation goes a long way. Consider a personal thank you over an email, build a recognition and reward strategy that works for your employees and your culture but most importantly, bring some real value to the organization by walking the talk. If you don’t demonstrate an atmosphere of encouragement and appreciation reinforcing desired behaviours, how do you expect your managers to?

Be the freakin’ change people!

Ruth Estwick is a Human Resources Manager currently holding a dual role in HR and Operations for Metro, the world’s largest global newspaper. Having transitioned from Operations and Administrative Management, Ruth has found her calling in HR. She hopes to focus her HR career on culture development and organizational change.

Ruth is a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) and is currently working towards her Canadian Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP). A senior manager, a part time student and a proud mother of 3, including a child with TGA (a congenital heart defect), Ruth is active in raising awareness of Congenital Heart Defects.

She tweets as @HRstalker