Your Strategic Hiring Plan - Focus on Balance!

You’ve heard it before, it all starts with the right hire. Finding the perfect candidate that will bring a unique skill set and all the qualities you are looking for from cutting-edge technical skills to top-notch interpersonal skills, the ability to work with upper management as well as the customer, a drive to grow and the list goes on and on.  We can picture that perfect person in our head.  That person comes into work with a smile on her face, ready to take on the world, thereby bringing your company to higher levels of greatness.  Ahhh, bliss! And while that ideal candidate may be out there, how many employees do you have at your firm?  And is it possible for every employee at your company to have a combination of all of those skills that define the perfect employee? Unfortunately the answer is no, because while you might find candidates that display a tremendous amount of technical ability, not all of them will be the best communicators.  And in addition to finding ideal employees, you also have to be concerned with employee retention.  So much to be concerned with, but there is hope!

In today’s economy, we are faced with a market of potential hires that are on a spectrum.  The two most common players in the market are:

• The college graduate. He has the technical skills that will knock your socks off, is confident and ready to take on any project that comes his way but lacks the finesse of a seasoned communicator. 

• The experienced professional.   This person can interface with anyone who comes his way, has a comfortable nature about him, knows the ropes of the job, yet isn’t very excited about bleeding edge technologies and skills necessary to succeed in the digital world. 

So what is the answer?  How do we have a workforce that has all the attributes that we talked about making up the “perfect employee?”  The answer is through strategic hiring.

Through strategic hiring you bring on-board individuals that create the ideal whole, a combination of hard and soft skills; the combination of individuals that have the cutting edge technical skills coupled with those employees whose soft skills bring professionalism and harmony to the office.  After all, you don’t want to have an office full of individuals that bring mad technical skills, but when you sit them down  for constructive criticism they look behind them and think, “she can’t be talking to me,” because after all they are a hot shot in their field technically.  On the other hand you don’t want an office filled with individuals that can give and take direction well, know how to handle a crisis in the office, but when faced with a cutting-edge task, look at you and say, “Hmmm, what are you talking about?” 

The secret to a cohesive and effective team is to hire individuals who complement each other. 

In life, people rub off on each other.  When the guy sitting next to you knows how to do something and is proud of his work, in true human spirit we are curious and want to learn what he’s doing.  So when the Hot-Shot College Grad with her cutting edge programming skills is sitting next to Mr. Seasoned Professional, it may very well make sense that they will rub off on each other; the college graduate gaining professionalism in how she conducts herself in the office and deals with others, and the seasoned professional gaining some new technical skills.  Through this exchange of skills, all mutually benefit.

It is always important to keep this diversity in mind in terms of skills and experience when hiring.  Think of the office dynamic – what skills, both hard and soft will bring the best synergy to the group?  How will this new person impact the office?  With the right balance, you can expect an enthusiastic work force that works within their strengths and yet brings each other to the next level. Employee retention is the natural byproduct, because all parties involved are growing and learning, and that is what makes work satisfying.

Working From Home - The Great Debate

So…I feel compelled to add my two cents to the great Working From Home Debate.  Marissa Mayer, the new CEO at Yahoo, recently made the decision that it was best to put an end to employees being able to telecommute, in the interest of increasing teamwork and fostering better long-term innovation within the company.    And given the challenges Yahoo faces to climb to the top of the competitive heap, sometimes desperate times call for desperate action.  However, leading by example is always the best practice when these types of controversial (and sometimes unpopular) decisions are made.  Maureen Dowd’s recent column on the subject – see http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/opinion/dowd-get-off-your-cloud.html?_r=0 – really rang true with me and I’m hoping Ms. Mayer took the time to read it.  Basically, it warned that privileged female executives risk losing touch with the difficult work/life juggle that most ordinary (read less wealthy) female workers experience. 

For example, if Ms. Mayer has the professional clout to establish a nursery next to her office, what message does this send to other working women at Yahoo who don’t have such a luxury?  Frankly, I think this set up could be every bit as distracting as working from home.  I hope Mayer’s ban is just a temporary policy, as I believe that having a flexible work schedule that allows working from home occasionally is helpful for working parents – both male and female – if utilized responsibly.    From a talent acquisition perspective, Yahoo definitely needs to lure the best and brightest – and this policy is a major buzz kill. 

Welcome, Joel Radziewicz!!!

A few words of introduction from Joel Radziewicz, our recent addition to the Talent Tap team!!

I’m very excited to be the newest member of Talent Tap organization!!  My role will allow me to serve the Central Pennsylvania community in new and exciting ways.  Helping people transition into a new long term career is a true passion of mine; I believe that there is more to a resume than just skill sets and experiences.  Looking beyond the piece of paper is and getting to really know the person is the way I can truly match up great candidates with great companies and enrich lives.   I’ve lived in the Lancaster community for over eleven years.  During that time I’ve seen large companies grow smarter and smaller companies thrive and expand by the support of the unique community and culture in Lancaster.  In the future I’m looking forward to playing a lead role in supporting the growth of Talent Tap and our community as a whole!

Talent Tap's New Home!!!

We're thrilled to announce that Talent Tap is moving operations to new offices at The Groundworks, an upscale satellite location for The Candy Factory!!!  Our new address, as of 12/1/12, is 30 North Queen Street, in  the heart of beautiful downtown Lancaster!  Check out the official press release at http://goo.gl/nmVc3.

Some of Groundworks' perks:

10 premium members will be housed in this state-of-the-art office space - literally right next door to the oldest farmers market in the country.  Lunch anyone?

Convenient parking for candidates, clients and visitors at two nearby lots owned by Hager Parking. 

Wonderful meeting rooms and shared working space with an inclusive kitchen

An Open House Party is in the works - date to be announced ASAP!!! 

Exciting news!

Great things happening at Talent Tap!!  Stay tuned for an upcoming post with the details!

The Golden Rule

I just got off the phone with a job seeker who was referred to Talent Tap.  After explaining that my industry niches were not a match for his experience, I referred him to two other staffing companies who I thought would be better positioned to assist him.  The candidate mentioned that one of those companies didn’t engage him in any conversation when he called them a year ago and just pointed him to their website.  Needless to say, he was really turned off.   I love these calls because it gives me the opportunity to mindfully practice a key value at Talent Tap – treating people like you would want to be treated.   After eighteen years in the staffing business, I have noticed that it can be easy to let this practice slip when you’re juggling incoming calls, candidate interviews, follow up to clients and the other million tasks that pop up every day.

 

I was fortunate to be hired right out of college by a progressive, local staffing firm, The Byrnes Group. They were a great group to work with for most of my time there – the training I received was invaluable and I learned a lot about running a successful business because it was an open-book management company.  Our President, Randy Byrnes, believed in educating all staff to think and run their desks like owners.  The one piece of advice he offered really stuck with me throughout my career:  Remember that not only do we serve our clients (they write the checks that keep the lights on), we also need to serve our candidates well, too.  Most job seekers are in a stressful time in their lives – professional change and transition is never easy – so always practice the Golden Rule:  treat them like you would want to be treated if the tables were turned.  And you know what – very few of us get through our professional lives without becoming a job applicant at one time or another.  

Candidates remember how they were treated when knocking on doors and they tend to tell their friends and family.  Paying it forward is always the right choice as staffing professionals and as human beings, as we walk our respective life paths. 

"Sit Here and Fill Out This Application..."

Most job seekers’ experiences working with employment agencies are akin to going to a new doctor.  They walk in to a pleasant but bland office, are greeted by a distracted receptionist with a forced smile who searches for your name on a daily calendar and then you’re given a folder of ten to twenty forms to fill out before a 20 minute interview with a recruiter.  

Most professionals in the staffing industry don’t realize that although our business is customer -driven (read businesses pay for our services), our success serving those customers relies on establishing meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with candidates who are in the job market.  And a candidate’s positive or negative impression about a staffing firm starts from the moment they enter the front door of our office.  

Talent Tap is located at The Candy Factory in downtown Lancaster, PA.  No real candy is sold here – we’re a co-working community that has re-purposed the old Keppel’s Candy manufacturing and office space in the arts district of the city.   We’re a community of businesses, freelancers and other independent professionals who believe that by working together, we can create an engaged community of entrepreneurs who benefit from our collective knowledge and skills -and have a lot of fun in the process!  For Talent Tap, being located at The Candy Factory means that we can offer our candidates a unique, personal experience that they can’t find anywhere else.  When an applicant steps into our funky space, they are greeted by music courtesy of Pandora.  They can opt to sit in our informal, open conference area for their interview or a private conference room on our first floor (before they arrive in our reception area) if confidentiality is a concern.  We don’t have ten to twenty forms for anyone to fill out.  Sure, we have processes and policies – but that doesn't drive the initial applicant experience.  Our interviews are thorough and focused on really getting to know a candidate – our meetings last at least an hour, on average.   Once the applicant is done meeting us, they can step outside and walk to any number of great restaurants, art galleries or boutique shops, if the spirit moves them.   We strive to make a connection with each applicant and really understand their professional goals, interests and talents.   Even if they don’t score their next position through us, we can be a valuable connection for them within the business community.  If we aren’t the right resource for them, we will refer them to another staffing firm who can help them out.   

In the end, businesses and people thrive when they do the right thing for everyone who crosses their path.