Don Gee's Recruiting Blog

Leadership vs Management

If you have ever worked for, reported to, coached by, or served under a “Leader” the answer is obvious.

What’s the difference? Leaders C.A.R.E. , Managers don’t.

C – Challenge

Leaders challenge you; they drive you to become better.   They have earned that right because of the “R,” which I’ll get to in a second.    A Manager maintains their distance while demanding a fulfillment of a particular task, while a Leader will be in the trenches with you, to guide and mentor you to become better.

A – Attention

The difference between mediocrity and lavish success lies in the flawless execution of the fundamentals.   Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.  Managers only look at the bottom line, while a leader will instantly see the improvements needed to cultivate your fundamentals which can yield exponential results.   A Leaders attention is outwards (to the team) a Managers attention is internal (themselves).

R- Relationship

There is an old proverb (or equation) about effective parenting which parallels effective leadership.

Discipline – relationship = Rebellion.  Discipline + Relationship =  Parenting

When there is a foundational relationship constructed; disciplining, correcting or constructive criticism is often times welcomed.    Simply put, the manager has no relationship, whereas the leader values relationship and invests time to foster relationships with their team.  The Leader has earned the right to give you that kick in the ass to make you better.

E – Example

Leaders lead by example.  Managers follow policy or manuals to facilitate their doctrine.  Leaders show their team how it’s done, working their magic to set the tone for their team.   If what you’re doing is not working, a Leader will ask you to step aside then show you how it’s truly done.  Managers spend most of their time CYA’ing and keeping their staff from rising up the food chain.  Leaders don’t ask for your respect, they earn it from you.

So what are you?  Are you a Leader or a Manager?  If you want to be a Leader, just C.A.R.E.!

Bluetooth Audio (A2DP) Improvements with iPhone 3.0 (beta 5)

I wanted to follow up on my previous blog, in regards to the iPhone 3.0 OS (which you can read at:  http://dongee.typepad.com/my_weblog/a-review-of-iphone-30-os/). 

A few weeks ago, iPhone 3.0 (beta 5) was released and there have been a few noticeable improvements, one of which is the Bluetooth Audio (A2DP) feature.

For those of you like me, who love being freed from wires and enjoy listening to their music via Bluetooth Audio (A2DP), iPhone 3.0 (beta 5) has a few nice tweaks.

The previous version of the iPhone 3.0 required users to manually connect the Bluetooth device by tapping the Bluetooth logo, and selecting the appropriate device in a pop up.   With iPhone 3.0 (beta 5), when your Bluetooth device is powered on, it will connect to your iPhone automatically.  If you’re not sure it’s connected, view the bottom of your iPod screen (underneath the FF, PLAY, and Rewind controls) and it will display the device it’s connected to. 

This feature is really nice for listening to Bluetooth Audio (A2DP) in our SUV (which is powered my Microsoft Sync).   Once it syncs and plays a music selection (via streaming audio) and we leave the car, the music on the iPhone will automatically stop, and when we re-enter our car, it will pick up where the music left off.   

One downside still exists with the Bluetooth Stereo feature, the fast forward/rewind controls on the bluetooth devices still don't work (Pause/Play, volume controls works fine) hopefully this will be fixed in the next release. 

The Airplane Mode feature seems to work smoother now. 

In the first release of iPhone 3.0 beta, when Airplane Mode was turned on while listening to music via Bluetooth, the Bluetooth connection severed, and when the Bluetooth was switched back on (on the iPhone) while still in Airplane Mode, the Bluetooth couldn’t re-sync to any of the paired devices.  Now it does with no problems.  Yeah.

Overall the performance seems better with iPhone 3.0 (beta 5).  While emailing, texting and web browsing, switching to landscape mode transitions quicker and smoother.

Employee Retention Programs - Improve Your Bottom Line

When the job market is hot, your company may be vulnerable to employee attrition.  When the market is down (like now) you may risk losing employees through employee disengagement and employee vulnerability.    

When an employee resigns, that can cost your company 1.5 -2 times of the vacated salary.   The hard and soft cost can include time and money spent on refilling the position, advertising fees, agency fees, employee development and training.   Other risks variables can include lower productivity, company morale and the impact this has on your customers.  

If your business is in the fortunate status to be hiring, minimizing employee attrition starts on day one.   There should be a formal onboarding program for new hires, which include orientation, training and a transition plan (or ramp up plan).  When orientation and training conclude, a transition plan ensues which will allow new hires to reach productivity as efficiently as possible.   

Here are a few items that can noticeably improve your employee retention efforts. 

Employee Communication

Considering the nature of the economy, if workers aren’t in danger of losing their position, they can still feel vulnerable.  Vulnerable employees make less productive employees, and if they continue to feel vulnerable, they’ll eventually depart.

Communicating with employees can accomplish more than meets the eye.   Keep your employees up to date with company news, key new hires, significant accomplishments and other news to keep your employees in the loop.  Informed employees can have a greater sense of ownership, a sense of ownership ushers a higher level of employee engagement and with higher engagement yields higher productivity….so on and so forth.

Benefits

Ensure you’re providing a good benefit and vacation plan.    

Awards

Recognition is another way to raise performance.  You can have awards for “Best Employee Award,” or “Best Turnaround,” or whatever highlights your company culture.  If you want to tie in a bonus to this award, that can further compel individuals to exceed expectations, but not necessary. 

On Going Training

Offer employees opportunities to further their respective skill sets through training.  You can offer paid training programs as well as tuition reimbursement for employees who’d like to further their education.  

A Peek at the iPhone 3.0 OS

A few days ago I downloaded the iPhone OS 3.0 (beta).  There are some very cool features and some other aspects are so-so.  I dropped my Windows Smartphone about a year ago and haven't looked back since.

When the first iPhone came out, quite frankly I thought the hype was much greater than the product itself….however the concept was revolutionary.  I suspected the next generation iPhone would be impressive and sure enough, it was and is.  When the iPhone 3G came out, I had to have it (I’m a recovering gadget junkie).  My wife often jabs me because of my gadget addiction and “there are too many cell phones in the house!”  

I was extremely impressed with the iPhone 3G, but like a lot of people I had my gripes; no landscape keyboard, no pic texting, no Bluetooth stereo (that really irked me) and no removable hard disk (like the iPod) and no cut and paste like the Windows Mobile OS offered.  When I first viewed the presentation of the iPhone 3.0 OS on Apple’s website, Apple appeared to really listen to their users and make the appropriate changes and improvements. 

You can view the video at:  http://www.apple.com/iphone/preview-iphone-os/

Significant iPhone 3.0 OS (Beta) improvements:

Landscape Email &Texting
Landscape mode for texting, emailing and other iPhone applications.  This is a big perk for me because I have clunky hands with fingers like sausages.  You can also text pics (finally). 
Spotlight Search
This feature is simple to use and intuitive.  It’s the first screen, left of the home screen.  Just enter the data into your search box and it will search your iPhone for emails, contacts, songs and videos.  You’ll also see this search box on top of your email program you set up on your iPhone, and for those of you who use Microsoft Exchange, this search feature will not only search the email on your phone, but your Microsoft Exchange Server.  Pretty Cool.   
Cut and Paste
This simply rocks.  You can select a word, sentence or paragraph by simply tapping, holding down and a pop up appears and the rest is a snap.   
Bluetooth Audio (A2DP)
For many of you, you may not care about this feature but for me it’s a significant perk.  My Motorola Bluetooth Headphones sound remarkable and the streaming Bluetooth audio sounds extraordinary in our Crossover SUV (powered by Microsoft Sync).  A2DP is finally here in iPhone 3.0 OS Beta, which will allow Bluetooth controls over volume, pause/stop but it doesn’t recognize fast forward or rewind.  Hopefully the 3.0 official release will fix this glitch.  Also a note, considering A2DP is for audio, watching movies on your iPhone via Bluetooth stereo headphones doesn't work all that well. 
Voice Memos
This is a iPhone application that comes standard with 3.0 which allows you to record voice memos to yourself. 
Back Up Encryption
When you sync your iPhone, you can backup your iPhone with password encryption.
Auto fill
Auto fill feature are prevalent in browsers such as IE or Google Chrome, Safari (in iPhone3.0 OS Beta) offers the option to auto fill and store your usernames and passwords. 

Rumors have it that AT&T will start selling the iPhone without long-term contract commitments (pay as you go) we’ll see how that goes.

iPhone 3.0 OS will slated to officially release in June of 2009, which can be updated and downloaded on your iPhone from iTunes, just connect your iPhone to iTunes and click "check for update" and the steps to install 3.0 is self-explanatory (just make sure you back up your iPhone first).  

Keep in mind this review comes from a staunch Windows guy, so Mr. Jobs should take pleasure in my slow conversion from the dark side.

Is Your Future Employer “The One?”

Marathon panel interviews, personality profile tests, handwriting analysis, extensive background investigations, credit score verification, reference checks and booklet sized employment applications….

Sound familiar?

Employers should take necessary steps to evaluate potential hires; however is there an equal opportunity for job seekers to obtain scrupulous and thorough information about a potential employer?             

Asking probing questions during your interview along with your own research to ascertain a company’s financial solvency, competitive standing, company culture and BBB rating can enable you to assess a potential employer’s reputation, character & integrity.

After all the research and work you’ve done, it can be overwhelmingly frustrating to learn after the fact the company you joined isn’t what it’s cracked up to be or claimed to be.   If you’re working with a recruiter/recruiting firm, have they provided valuable insight to compliment your research?  Or have they simply lined up an interview without providing a detailed account of what’s “under the hood?”  There are allot of good recruiting firms out there, however I’ve heard numerous stories over the years from candidates that have been told just about anything from a recruiting firm to just close the deal.

Some of the most dependable information you can acquire on potential employers or recruiting agencies is first-hand feedback from friends, colleagues, or people that are intimately familiar or have worked for the company or recruiting firm you’re considering or working with.

I’m looking into launching a group/forum which will allow candidates to exchange feedback and input about employers & recruiting firms.  The goal is to provide a collaborative online community which people can share thoughts, suggestions, input about employers & recruiting firms.   This is not intended to be a bashing forum, but a place which people can exchange insight, suggestions and non-biased input about potential employers & recruiting firms.  

I’d like to hear your candid thoughts, suggestions and input about a forum like this.  What are your thoughts?

A Word of Encouragement

After these past several weeks, I’ve been pondering the subjects I’ve been blogging about; employment, jobs, interviewing, etc, etc.

Which got me to thinking about the relevance (or lack thereof) of what I’ve been blogging about, considering how many people are out of work, at risk of losing their jobs and how many organizations are laying-off by the masses.  Even though I’m passionate about my industry and the things I write about, I wanted to set aside these subjects and offer a word of encouragement for you.

If you have recently lost your job or at risk of losing your job, the anxiety you might be facing is substantial.  I’m not going to engage in feeble attempts to sound like Stuart Smalley (or Senator Elect of MN).  But all I can say is through these challenging times is that they won’t last. 

I recall when I first relocated to Chicago in 1994; things weren’t that great in my life.  A couple failed NFL tryouts, being dumped by my fiancé’, broke, in a city which I didn’t know anyone, things were not going well to say the least.  And when things seemed they couldn’t get any worse, they did.  Recalling 1995, one of the darkest years of my life, every hour felt like a week and it seemed that it would never end. 

My Grandfather, who passed several years ago, taught me allot about rising above challenges and what it really means to be a “success.”  He knew a thing or two about hard-times.  Enjoying a relaxing post with the U.S. Army in Hawaii, he and a few friends decided to walk up a small hill and enjoy the splendor of the coastline.  When ones of his friends asked him, “is there an air-drill today?”  They had no idea that a few moments later things would never be the same.  The date was December 7^th. 1941.  The place, Pearl Harbor. 

Some of the lessons he unintentionally taught me, gave me the little bit of impetus that I needed.  Through the turmoil, hardship and challenges, I found a reservoir of resilience deep inside of me that I didn’t even know I had.  In time things did turn around, in fact, they not only turned around but my life significantly changed for the better.  My life dramatically improved socially, economically, professionally and emotionally.  Sounds lovely, but it required me to focus, dig deep down and fight like hell to rise above and turn things around.   

I don’t write these things to impress you, but impress upon you that these tough times you’re enduring…..will not last.  As ridiculous as it sounds, looking back I would not change anything about 1995, through that season of my life I grew in areas I probably wouldn’t have developed otherwise.  If we look hard enough, hints of answers and directions are there but sometimes we have to dig, scratch and fight to find them.

Turn off the news, read a book or rent a movie about an inspirational figure, do some volunteer work at a shelter, your church or other organization that you’re passionate about.  Turning focus off ourselves is a powerful way to dissipate the fog that sometimes prevents us from seeing “the road signs of life” that might be pointing us in the right direction.  I’m not trying to minimize the challenges you’re facing, but the good news is, when we help people out of genuine motives, we’re the ones that get edified as well.     

Connect with that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, spend more time with friends & family and those closest to you.  Even though things might be difficult right now, there is someone out there that needs a phone call, a lunch, an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.     

My Grandfather probably had no idea the impacts he had on me.  Is there someone you can reach out to and impact?  Sometimes the smallest things we do leave significant impressions on people, never minimize what an act of kindness can do for someone.    

Don W. Gee

Talent Strategy Manager

Escendent

Dgee@Escendent.com

Expanding Your Job Search to Other Cities

According to the U.S. Department of Labor the unemployment rate has escalated to 7.6% and so far Wall Street isn’t responding positively to a soon to be passed Stimulus Bill. 

In a battered economy, with so many people out of work, the most influential variable for you to preserve a competitive edge is to keep working (if you can).  However, if the city which you reside has slim prospects, have you considered traveling to other markets to expand your options?

I’m not necessarily proposing a full-blown relocation, but traveling or temporary relocation may enable you to uncover opportunities that you may not be able to find in your home town.  This is not the idyllic option, but in an economy with narrow employment choices, you may need to take some drastic steps to sustain your income level and marketability.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, here are some markets that are experiencing lower unemployment numbers:

Casper, Wyo.
Logan, Utah
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Morgantown, W. Va.
Ames, Iowa
Fargo, N.D.
Iowa City, Iowa
Rapid City, S.D.
Lincoln, Neb.
Provo-Orem, Utah
Billings, Mont.
Charleston, W. Va.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Lafayette, La.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Charlottesville, Va.
Farmington, N.M.
Grand Forks, N.D.
Lawton, Okla.
Madison, Wisc.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
Harrisonburg, Va.
Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa
Portsmouth, N.H.
Sioux City, Iowa

As you may already notice, most of these are not tier-1 cities however the unemployment numbers in these cities are significantly lower (in some cases less than half) than the national average. 

There will be out of pocket costs that you may need to absorb, but there are tools you can use to keep your out of pocket costs as low as possible.  

Flights

If you have to fly to another city, Away.com enables you to search multiple engines at once, which include; Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, Priceline, Travelocity, Sidestep and Hotwire.  If you have to book a flight with little notice, Lastminute.com can provide some packaged bargains (with Fly/Car or Flight/Hotel).  Most travel sites provide a free subscribed alert service, which automatically emails you when a price drops below your requested rate.

Rent a Car

Most travel sites enable you to research numerous car rental companies to find the best deal. If you know you’ll need a rent a car recurrently, you may want sign up for preferred rent a car program, which are for the most part free and enable you to receive additional discounts and bypass the counter.  Often times, the best rentals are found when you book by the week or month (instead of daily).  Companies such as Alamo.com offer monthly rental plans, as well as discounts if you reserve/pay up front.

Hotels

Depending on how you book your package, you may save money by booking your car, hotel and flight separately.  This can get time consuming; however it may be the most cost effective.  Websites such as Hotwire.com and Priceline.com offer you the option to “bid” for your room.    

If you’re stay is an extended one, you may want to research rates with companies such as ExtendedStayAmerica.com or StudioPlus.com. 

Research

Before you explore a respective marketplace for travel, temporary or permanent relocation you can research a respective city at http://www.moving.com/real-estate/community/index.asp.

Compare the opportunity, your compensation and out of pocket expenses that you’ll incur and see if it makes sense for you.  Also keep in mind, many of these “tier-2” cities will have a lower cost of living and the out of pocket costs may not be as substantial as you would experience with a tier-1 city.  Yes, it will require some sacrifices, however it will go a long way to future employers when they see the sacrifices you’ve made to keep working and maintain or improve your skills.    

Don W. Gee

Talent Strategy Manager

Escendent

DGee@Escendent.com

How Companies Can Measure Their Current Staffing Providers

Vendor Performance & Accountability

Once it is determined that a position need to be outsourced, vendors need to be held accountable to maintain their status as an approved vendor.   Metrics can be implemented to ascertain a eminent activity level.   Taking into account there is an investment of time and resources that occur before a hire, vendors should be measured on pre-hire, on boarding and post-hire metrics. 

Measuring Criteria

How many requisitions has the vendor been awarded?
How many submissions for each requisition has the vendor provided?
How many resources have been interviewed for each requisition awarded?
How many times has vendor double-submitted a candidate?
Specifically, has the agency submitted the candidate after they have been presented by another vendor or the candidate submitted themselves directly?
How prepared was the vendors candidates during interviews?
How many resources have been hired by the resource?
What is the average tenure of the vendors’ resources?
How has the vendors hired resources performed?
What are the vendors’ fees? 
What are the vendors’ guarantees?
How many 90-Day Exits (candidates resign or back outs)
How many no-shows (for phone screens or face to face interviews)

Prime Vendor

Outsourcing certain or significant hiring to a Prime Vendor may enable you to appoint one vendor to manage the entire human capital process.    

Outsourcing the entire process can relieve you from having to maintain staff dedicated to vendor management. A prime vendor assumes responsibility for managing all hiring done with any agency and allows a company to ratchet up their hiring capability at will without the cost of internal staff.

 

Don W. Gee

Talent Strategy Manager

Escendent

Dgee@Escendent.com

How Companies Can Evaluate New Staffing Providers

For every 100 positions that are outsourced the hard cost of agency utilization can run in excess of $1.4 Million.  Add the soft cost of agency attrition, which averages 20-25%, the total cost of agency utilization can exceed $2.2 Million.

Most organizations don’t do enough to scrutinize the competency of their vendors.  Outsourcing hiring needs to an ill-equipped staffing agency can be a fiscally disastrous option.

Diminished Capacity

If your internal recruiting/HR capacity has been scaled back due to market conditions, your vendors (new or existing) may be experiencing similar reductions as well.  Before you outsource your positions, you may want to re-evaluate your current vendors’ capacity to ascertain they can deliver. 

To read about how you can evaluate your current staffing providers capacity and methodologies, you can view my article at:  http://dongee.typepad.com/my_weblog/how-companies-should-measure-their-current-staffing-providers/

Evaluation Criteria

During the evaluation (or re-evaluation) process, it is imperative to understand how an agency administers their candidate screening methodology.  

What is the Vendors internal candidate screening and evaluation process?

Has the firm worked in your industry/domain before?

How many recruiters will be working on your positions?  What is their experience level?

Does the Vendor offer a specialization based on your needs?

Can the vendor provide references?

Lastly, what is the agencies recruiting personnel attrition?  If a vendor asserts to be authorities in the human capital business, however, their internal recruiting experiences significant turnover, question their business model and quality.

Vendor Performance & Accountability

Once it is determined that a position need to be outsourced, vendors should be e held accountable to maintain their status as an approved vendor.  

 

Don W. Gee

Talent Strategy Manager

Escendent

Dgee@Escendent.com

How is your resume being introduced?

When a Recruiter/Recruiting Agency introduces your resume to an organization, how or where is it presented?  Is your resume submitted directly to a decision maker or is your resume uploaded into a VMS (Vendor Management System). 

A VMS is a web-based procurement application that enables companies to manage the process of outsourced temporary and permanent staff from providers such as Beeline, WorkCard, Peopleclick, eBid, IQ Navigator, etc.  Over the past several years this has become an increasingly popular trend for many organizations.    

However for the candidate, the advantages are very little.

Certain VMS providers (by default or design) create agency anonymity, meaning the end client may not know the identity of the recruiting agency representing candidate #1234.  With that in mind, the authenticity of the relationship between the agency and client becomes irrelevant.  

People are what make or break a company; however, through a VMS landscape candidates become commoditized.  The driving force becomes price, instead of the quality of the human capital.    

Questions to ask your recruiter

How long has this position been open?
If a recruiting agency presents your resume to a position that has been open a while, your resume may end up on the bottom of a large stack of resumes and the chances of your resume being seen are slim to none. 
Is my resume being presented directly to a decision maker or is it being uploaded through a VMS? 
This will enable you to ascertain expectations.  If it will be presented through a VMS, chances are likely the process will take a while.
Will my resume be presented to one position or multiple openings?
With organizations that allow the same candidate to be presented to different positions (from the same vendor) this might increase your chances of success. 

If you decide to move forward through the VMS route, understand the recruiting firm will have limited influence, feedback will be limited or non-existent and the process may take a while.

Don W. Gee

Talent Strategy Manager

Escendent

Dgee@Escendent.com