AP Photo - Adrian Dennis
Years ago, I had a large office in the Wall Street area with a personal secretary screening my phone calls, opening mail, taking dictation, and managing my calendar. Since then of course, the business world has changed. The next phase had executives sharing a pool of secretaries using floppy discs working on word processors. That was followed by an administrative assistant supporting at times an entire group.
Whereas years ago the hiring process and the hiring decision were the exclusive domain of the executive, nowadays—since so-called teamwork has become a major part of the work environment—hiring decisions are often shared and thus made by several team members. That process supports the concept that a group decision is better than an individual decision. As a result, the process has become convoluted, protracted, and not necessarily better—in my opinion.
Today’s job market is flooded with lots of very qualified candidates chasing very few openings. The way hiring happens has also changed. Technology has infiltrated the process, and today’s submission of one’s candidacy is purely mechanical. Nobody sees the candidate’s skills and qualifications unless the hiring manager’s keywords match those on the résumé, and only then is the original résumé reproduced for reading. Once that happens, several candidates get reviewed via a selection process.
To save time and money, a phone interview, or screen, is the next hurdle candidates face. It’s usually accomplished by someone junior in the human resources department who does not fully understand the hiring department’s particular needs. If an external recruiter is the intermediary between the candidate and the hiring company, then the recruiter’s financial motivation is playing a key role. That’s because recruiters work for the company paying their commissions.
Decision Making
Decision making is a complex process because several parties have a say and a stake in it. For example, sometimes the human resources department representative’s opinion carries significant weight, and other times the rep is merely a paper trail processor. Sometimes a candidate is interviewed by several people in addition to the final decision maker. Those others, too, have a say—because hiring managers want to show their support of their teams by demonstrating their collegiality—but to what extent those other opinions matter is probably variable. And what happens when a hiring manager favors a particular candidate but several others who’d be future peers of the candidate show resistance? In addition, in most cases hiring managers know the thinking and mentality of the person they report into, so what happens if their own opinion is opposed regarding the type of person who should be hired?
A recent large survey was conducted among human resources professionals and hiring managers. The survey clearly found that by far, the number one factor in the hiring decision is the fit factor—meaning, the determination about whether a candidate will fit into the culture of the company. Fully 100 percent of the respondents said so! But what is this culture that’s referred to? Who defines it? Who interprets it?
Some companies use exclusively behavior-based or situation-based interview questions. The tenet here is that past performance is a good indicator or predictor of similar such performance. I wonder if those companies can decisively demonstrate that by practicing this theory, they become able to hire and retain a higher-caliber labor force.
Ultimately, of course, it is people who make the final decision about which candidate to offer the job to. The interview process is certainly not a science but an art. Can that art be learned in order to improve one’s chances of being hired? Well, I’m sure you know the answer to the old riddle that asks, Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?
If you have been unemployed for some time now or a recent victim to this economy, there is one thing that you can do to keep your resume current. Instead of having a gap from your last job to your current status, how about volunteering and adding that to your resume? It will make a great topic with hiring managers and HR when interviewing. One thing it will show that your not sitting on your ass collecting unemployment and trying to convince people that all your time is being spent landing your next job.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t take 8 hours a day to find a new job. In-fact you’ll go out of your mind not to mention bored to death! You’ve heard the saying “busy people get things done”. We’ll get busy and go volunteer your time for part of the day. It really doesn’t need to be in a specific area but more about a passion that you have. Volunteer in an area that you will enjoy and feel productive. This will give you a sense of purpose and will help you stay positive during this frustrating time.
As a recruiter I see unsolicited resumes everyday and 80 percent of them are from people that are not currently working. About 79.999 percent of them tell me that all of their time is spent looking for a new job. They all tell me how their time is spent. Checking ads, networking and sending resumes out via email. Really??? Come on, go do something! Go work in a shelter or a food pantry. Get involved and become creative. When you finally do get an interview it can truly be a highlight and might give you an edge over your competition. A breath of fresh air for hiring managers I’m sure. Plus you never know it might just lead to your next job or business!
JTL Services, Inc. today announced a new division that is going to assist job candidates in their search efforts.
To be considered for this program candidates must be qualified. Submit all resumes for review to: jeff@careercoachplus.com or jeff@jtlservices.com
JTL Services, Inc. has been getting hammered with new jobs so far this year. If you or someone you know is looking for a new position, I will list a link to our job page. I’m not sure what people are thinking about what 2012 is going to be like but I figured that it would be a good year for new hires based on the upcoming election.
Let’s face it, if this year turns out like the last 3 years in the private sector, there will be a new sheriff in town. If this year turns out to be a good one, let’s HOPE that people don’t forget how bad the past few years have been. Bad policy decisions are bad policy decisions. As an owner of a search firm, I don’t need to ask anyone if the hiring situation is good or bad. I KNOW! I can tell you that the past 3 years have been the slowest I have seen in the past 15. I hope that this time people vote for real CHANGE and not pocket change!
I heard a great analogy the other day that really sums up socialistic policies. Ask a student if he/she would donate 1/3 of their GPA to a student that needs a higher one. Now, think of that for a second. Will the donation really help that person out in life? Hell no! It didn’t make them smarter. It might help them out temporarily to get into a better school but can they do the work to succeed? This scenario reflects that of the 50% of the American people who don’t pay taxes: They expect monetary handouts from those of us who do pay taxes. It doesn’t help them out long term, and in fact, it kills their self esteem. Teach a man to fish…
As you can tell, I am someone who believes in freedom and less government intrusion. These guys, regardless to which party they belong to, are nothing more than politicians! I’m an honorable, respectable person who pays his fair share and believe me, the last thing I need is more dependents! You know what I mean if your kids are out of the house. You’ve worked hard to put them through school and then you wake up and have to double down for 4 more years of hope and change. ¡Aye carumba! What a nightmare!
Now let’s do some good and help those help themselves by getting a job and a job in the government is NOT a job!
We need: Division Managers, HSE Managers, Lean Mangers, Manufacturing Engineers, NPI Project Engineers, Project Engineers, Quality Engineers, Turbine Component Repair Engineers, Value Stream Mangers, Product Managers, QA Testers, UI/UX Architects, Web Developers, Web Architects, Engineering Technicians, and Technicians just to name a few.
Getty photo
Ten minutes after I meet with a coaching client for the first time, the client is facing my video camera for 60 to 90 seconds. Then we watch the video together. Differently from in real life and because we have modern technology, I can separate the impression—and the client’s image—from the spoken words. I simply turn the speakers off so I don’t get influenced by the video’s verbal content and context. This is a powerful experience, one that provides rich information. In most cases a client can use that information for improving job interview skills and then can apply the newly learned skills during a job interview. Most people are awestruck by their video experience. In less than two minutes, people can see for themselves how they’re perceived by others—something they couldn’t have known before.
Albert Mehrabian, currently UCLA professor emeritus of psychology, published his findings on inconsistent communication of feelings and attitudes and on the relative importance of verbal messages and nonverbal messages. He devised what’s known as the 55%-38%-7% rule. Professor Mehrabian’s basic tenet is that when we communicate with other people, we’re being judged to the extent of 55% by our nonverbal behavior such as body language and facial expression, 38% by our tone of voice, and only the remaining 7% by the actual words we speak and their context. Moreover, if the words we use are incongruent with our body language and tonality, then the other person tends to believe more in what he sees and hears and less in the meaning of the words.
When we interview, our body language says a lot about us and about our emotional state; and poor body language often sends the message that we’re stressed or fearful. But even before the interview interaction begins, the interviewer looks at your face, your hair, your clothes, and the image you’re projecting. Thus, he forms an opinion about you before you’ve even had a chance to formally meet.
The interviewer observes your body language and interprets it quickly, knowing at once whether you’re scared, passive, under- qualified, or something else. If you say the wrong thing, the interviewer can forgive that, but if your body language says something different from what you actually say—for example, you say you’re a person who works well in stressful situations, but your body language betrays the fact that you’re indeed stressed; or, for another example, you say you’re confident, but your body language again betrays the fact that you’re not—well, those are things an interviewer knows you can’t change.
Following are a few body language mistakes to avoid during a job interview.
- Crossing your arms, which suggests you’re either overconfident or uncomfortable
- Lack of eye contact, especially while the interviewer is talking
- Not smiling, which makes you appear nervous or unfriendly
- Hiding your hands, because the interviewer will want to interpret how open and honest you are by looking at your hands
The only way to improve correspondence between the words you say and what your body language says is to prepare for the interview and practice, practice, and practice some more. It’s best to practice interviewing with someone who can point out to you your areas of deficiency and can guide you in making improvements.
