Stop Begging To Be Hired! March 8, 2018 by Sonia Johnson The hiring process is a one which is beneficial to both the organization and job applicants. By its bi-directional nature it is a mutual assessment of two prospective partners. The fact that one party, the corporate entity has deep pockets does not diminish their need for YOU the applicant. It is employees that create, occupy and drive the success of the legal entity, the organization. This is a critical reminder to enhance and enrich the course of your job search. When you reduce yourself to nothing, despite your years of education and/or hard work, the consequences of demeaning yourself and groveling from work lingers with you negatively. It has been shown to have a long term adverse effect on the candidate’s internal dialogue and belief in themselves, even when they get hired for positions. Be confident and strategic. If you don’t have the qualifications and experience, get it, or create a clear narrative of how what you possess works for the position that you seek. Begging and desperation can get you the job, but data shows that you are unlikely to enjoy it and will probably lack the respect of your hiring manager, especially if you were hired based on your pleading and begging. In the past I participated in various HR, Law and Employment research funded by groups of companies in all sectors. One of my stunning finds remains the HR lag, in terms of keeping pace with business evolution. The other most shocking thing was the eight (8) year long Hiring Project that we executed. We applied to companies, were interviewed, and used our experiences, and additional data provided by senior management to improve their hiring processes. It was astounding to find the qualifications and experience for recruiters in many organizations is not sufficient. Further, most times, recruiters and hiring managers are not well trained, and are placed at the lower end of the importance spectrum. Although, recruiters and hiring managers have a disproportionately critical effect on companies, too many organization still treat recruitment without the respect, training and attention it needs. Thus frequently, the outcome, except for the more exceptional recruiters and hiring managers, is that you are sitting across from a hiring manager or recruiter that is unaware of the biases and limitations, they often unconsciously have about candidates. Begging does not help increase respect for your skills, as it elevates recruiters biases against you— even if you get hired based on your pleas. Please note that if you have sought work for more than two years without success, it is imperative that you seek career guidance from an experienced Career Coaching professional. Such a professional should have a record of success, and the education and experience to provide you a robust guideline on how to succeed in your search. Preparation for the job interview, and the use of constant research to improve your interviewing process, cannot be over emphasized. Interviews are conducted with humans with as much or more implicit and other biases as you possess, and they making the decisions about you. To the extent possible, do all that you can to neutralize existing biases, by avoiding things that are distracting and unique to you. For example, I wear four rings on my right hand. When I am attending certain meetings, I do not wear those rings. I like my rings. I identify with them as they were gifts I was given for excellence in professional, and other personal achievements. But they could distract from the conversation, and could cause more implicit or explicit biased associations by the interviewer. So, it’s not worth it. Make sure it is a bi-directional discussion. You should determine if the company deserves you. Yes, internal confidence manifests externally too. Know your worth If you know you are suited for the job, and are not hired for it, move on. Review, Strategize and Move on. For Job Applicants, here are some signs that you might be interviewing with the wrong company: If the recruiter does not know the goals of the organization and cannot explain how your position fits into the macro picture of the organization’s needs. DO NOT ACCEPT A FOLLOW UP INTERVIEW, AND DO NOT CALL THEM TO FOLLOW UP. If the hiring manager appears not to know core components of the job very much or seems intimidated by your experience or astute preparation for the interview –you will not enjoy working for such hiring manager. If the hiring manager is hostile or distracted, END THE PROCESS QUICKLY. If the number of candidates being interviewed for the same position exceeds four or five applicants and/or the applicants are all from the same industry— do not expect to be challenged and excited by such a job, if hired. Only unprogressive companies in this era of creativity and ingenuity, hire people from the “same” industry (except where they have specific, verifiable and near incontrovertible reasons). If you are interviewed more than three times, and it is not a senior executive position, AND the reason for numerous interviews explained to you during the recruitment process as such– RUN AWAY. If ninety (90%) percent of the organization looks the same, and diversity seems to be a by line that no one executes, at least based data on the staff composition–PAUSE! Companies that lack DIVERSITY or lack leadership diversity, often prove very problematic for even non-diversity candidates. It is most likely operating out of a 19th century business model. It might be a tasteless and meaningless work experience. LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR MEANINGFUL WORK. Nothing, including a job, or search for it, is worth sacrificing your personhood, or Self-worth. You are a whole person, and your life should be far more than just work. Don’t diminish yourself. Seek EFFECTIVE AND SEASONED professional guidance. There is a new spate of people who claim to be masters and experts at coaching and everything imaginable, most are not! Verify before you dole out money and/or time to them. Most times, the girth and success of service you obtain, is a direct result of the quality, pricing, experience and knowledge of the company or professional you hire for this purpose. Choose wisely. Now, go forth confident and powerful for that job for which you are qualified. Never allow anyone or circumstance to stop you from achieving your goal. Author: Sonia Johnson Esquire
How Do I Make A Career Path? August 27, 2017 by Sonia Johnson Career pathing is the process used by an employee to chart a course within an organization for his or her career path and career development. Career pathing involves understanding what knowledge, skills, personal characteristics, and experience are required for an employee to progress his or her career laterally, or through access to promotions and / or departmental transfers. Career pathing requires an employee to take an honest look at his or her career goals, skills, needed knowledge, experience, and personal characteristics. Career pathing requires the employee to make a plan to obtain what is necessary in each of these areas to carry out his or her career path. You Owe Yourself a Career Path Plan Are you reaping the benefits of a thoughtfully developed, written, employer-supported career path plan? Creating a career path, or career pathing, is an essential component of your life-long career management. A career path plan is also a critical factor in performance development planning (PDP) in which a supervisor and reporting employee discuss and plan developmental opportunities for the employee. The PDP is important because it is written, shared with the supervisor, generally tracked by the organization for effectiveness, and reviewed quarterly (recommended) or regularly. The performance appraisal, in some organizations, is also an opportunity for career pathing. Career pathing is also perceived, in organizations with a formal process, as having institutional support. The career path encompasses both the employee’s desired destination and the steps, experience, and development he or she will need to make progress on the journey. A career path gives the employee a sense of direction, a way to assess career progress, and career goals and milestones. Developing a career path is easier, and more supported, in an organization that has a PDP process, or an effective performance appraisal or career planning process. You can, however, as an individual employee, make your own career path plan. You are the individual for whom the career path is the most important. You deserve a thoughtful career path plan. *** Article Culled From The “Balance”. Written By Susan M. Heathfield Contact the Society For Employee Relations To Learn More About Creating Your Career Path. Send Email To Services@SocietyForEmployeeRelations.com
Why Training Fails: 11 Truth That Most Good Leaders Don’t Even Know May 13, 2017 by Sonia Johnson Article By Shawn Doyle Culled From, Inc.com I’ve been involved in training, speaking, and consulting for 28 years–and the issues have been the same since I started. The shocking truth is that a ton of money gets spent–but it’s all wasted because of the unintentional barriers organizations have in place around training. Hopefully, you can learn from my experiences. Here are the 11 main reasons why training fails: 1. No one tells trainees why they’re training. When I am facilitating a training program and I ask people why they are there, the number one answer by far is “because my manager told me to be in the training”. In the majority of the cases they are not told why. Solution: Mangers should tell people the reason why they are in the training. 2. Training is as boring as watching paint dry. In today’s world of instant entertainment, if people aren’t entertained, they check out quickly. People tell me all the time that most training programs are very boring. Solution: Train internal people how to facilitate great training or hire an outside expert. 3. Training is a legal requirement or policy driven. Many organizations have certain training programs that are required, like safety training and sexual harassment avoidance. Because they are mandatory people feel like they are being punished and resent being there. Solution: Each manger should explain to their team how the training will help them and the company. If people understand why they are much more likely to go along with it. 4. Not enough time gets allotted for training. When I am talking to a client about training and they ask me how long a program is and I say a full day, they want me to do it in a half day. If I say half day they want me to do it in two hours. There are no effective shortcuts to effective training. Solution: Budget the time as an investment to help people learn. 5. There’s no actual training taken place. I am simply amazed that there are so many organizations that don’t train people at all. They use the world famous “just follow Fred around for a week” and rely on other people to show people the ropes. Solution: Every new employee should have an initial training program for orientation. 6. Using a subject matter expert for the training. Just because someone is an expert doesn’t mean they can teach their expertise to others. Solution: Be careful who you select for training. They need to be an expert in their field–and an expert at training. 7. Thinking that education is training. Education is learning about something. Training is learning how to do it. I can learn all about feeding lions at the zoo, but if I’m going to do it, I need to be trained how to do it or face dire consequences. Solution: Make sure the outcome of training is that people can do what they need to do. 8. Restricting training to a classroom. There are many different ways to train someone, and it doesn’t have to be a classroom. We can mentor, coach, have on the job training, we can rotate job assignments to cross train, or someone can study a “how to” guide. Solution: Find other creative ways to train people. 9. Using training that’s too goofy. I’ve seen some activities in training that, to me, belonged in a kindergarten class. When training exercises are too juvenile, people will stop learning. Solution: Know your team and don’t have exercises that are too childish. 10. Failing to follow up post-training. Many people attend training and then they are done. Their manager doesn’t meet with them to see how the training went and discuss what they learned. The retention or information goes way down when they only talk about something once. Solution: Every manager should talk with their direct reports within two weeks of the training to discuss what they learned and develop an action plan. 11.Thinking that training is an event. Many people think of training as an event. The reality is great training should be a process with many elements involved. This helps organizations implement changes as a result of the training. Solution: Have better training plans and determine how they all relate together. Thinking about all of these elements and how they fit together will make sure that you don’t waste your training dollars.