There is no shortage of information out there regarding how hot the labor market is … possibly a good time to review what businesses might want to stress to candidates as early as possible in the recruiting process.  Consider sharing these, assuming they are “alive and well” within the company, with headhunters and on a website to get these key recruiting differentiators out there… they just might differentiate your business from the competition.

• On boarding process (how long)
• Development programs
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Career path counseling
• High Potential process
• International opportunity
• Top Leader support for, and managers skilled in managing, these features of employment

“A” and “B” level leaders and managers skilled in the art of interviewing and passionately representing the company should be the picks for leading the recruiting charge. Timing is always an issue in a hot job market… Fortune, February 2018, the HR Leader for Intuit:  “We had to reinvent how we do recruiting, using a team of employees who have proved themselves sharp judges of talent…”

It is possible to get to a hiring decision and same day or next day offers with a good, pre-defined and vetted process.  Use a multi-functional team.  For example, same day:  Each team member interviews multiple candidates, the team meets at end of day (use a skilled facilitator) to discuss findings based on strengths, weaknesses, behavioral observations, skills, competencies (pre-defined factors which are aligned with the open position(s), and comes to hiring and offer decisions.  Properly planned, this process can manage as many 20 – 25 candidates in one day.

If the business is fortunate enough to have the budget for it, bring candidates in the night before interviews for an informal dinner and after dinner company update.  Seat one each of the next day interviewers at different dinner tables… interviewers will begin to form initial impressions. — all part of candidate assessment.

The whole process can be done at the same hotel.

*****S&E*****

Why a mentor?

Having the guidance, encouragement and support of a trusted and experienced mentor can provide a broad range of personal and professional benefits, which ultimately lead to improved performance in the workplace or in outside personal life. Mentors should not be direct supervisors.  Direct supervisors should be coaches!

What to look for in a mentor:

• Ability and experience
• Willingness to spend the time
• Approachability
• A good listener
• Honesty
• Inquisitiveness
• Objectivity and fairness
• Compassion and genuineness

Advantages for Mentees

• Work on developing a skill or competency
• Improve confidence and an ability to execute a task, objective or project
• Help improve listening and communication skills
• Practice in accepting feedback from a consistent source
• Practice building and maintaining a professional relationship
• Expands networks and contacts

Advantages for Mentors

• Strengthens active listening skills
• Give back to the organization and community
• Touch the future
• Build contacts
• Added sense of purpose and responsibility for one’s career

When do you need a mentor?

Seek help before known issues in your work or personal life, become a major issue.  Major issues are more difficult to repair so some foresight in regard to using a mentor can pay large dividends.

You may not need a mentor if you have your career path will managed, know where you are going, you are a great listener, observer, and very good at absorbing information and knowledge from skilled, respected leaders and coworkers at work and outside of work as well.

***** S&E *****