Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Selection

We know Talent Acquisition. We can help create strategic talent acquisition plans and processes to market, source, recruit, hire, and retain top talent. This category features insights specifically on Selection best practices.

  • What Does Your Candidate Experience Say About Company Culture?

    What Does Your Candidate Experience Say About Company Culture?

    I follow a number of HR groups online. It’s a great way to expand my HR knowledge, see how different companies manage their HR functions, as well as to share my own knowledge and experiences with others.

    Recently, while scanning through one Facebook group, I came upon a question that stood out. “Do you think it’s ok that managers are consistently late for interviews and leave candidates waiting for 15-20 minutes?”

    Reading through the comments, many respondents addressed the base issue- No, you shouldn’t make a habit of being late for interviews. But none addressed the impact that doing so could have on the organization and its reputation, or in other words, how candidates viewed the company’s culture.

    The candidate experience is critical to any organization in order to hire and retain top talent. And it starts as soon as a candidate clicks on a job posting. Here are some questions to ask yourself about your candidate experience and how it reflects your company culture.

    1. What does your job posting say about your company culture?
    2. Is your application process quick and simple, or do you require candidates to fill out screen after screen of information that you can probably pull from their resume?
    3. Once an application is submitted, do you send a “Thank you for your application” response? How quickly do you review and respond to applications? Do you notify candidates in a timely manner if they are not selected?
    4. When the candidate arrives for an interview, how are they greeted and are the interviewers prepared for the meeting? Are candidates left waiting on a regular basis?
    5. If, after the interview, you decide you like the candidate and want to continue to move forward, do you give them a tour and introduce them to other employees?
    6. You’ve made an offer and they’ve accepted. Now what? Is there contact between the time they accept the offer and their start date? That may include sending them pre-hire paperwork, providing them with their orientation schedule, or simply having a few members of the team they will join reach out to introduce themselves.

    The candidate experience is a great reflection of an organization’s culture. If the experience is a great one, candidates will think highly of the organization and want to join that culture. If the experience is a bad one, you will not only lose that candidate to another organization (maybe even a competitor) but you’ll earn the reputation of a company that doesn’t value candidates, and in turn, employees.

    Does your candidate experience reflect your company culture?

  • A Terrible Answer to an Interview Question

    A Terrible Answer to an Interview Question

    I recently conducted an interview with a job candidate for one of our clients. During the session, the young lady answered all of the questions perfectly. As the conversation was coming to a close, I had one final question. I asked, “Why did you make the transition from your last position to your current one?” The resume was stellar, the interview had gone well so far, but her answer allowed me to easily make the decision to not recommend her for a call back. Her answer, you ask? “I was just late too many times, and they had to let me go.” I paraphrased, but that was the gist.

    In my recruiting role, it was easy to discard the resume. However, my career coach heart wanted to scream “please, don’t use that answer ever again!” I will give her points for honesty. However, I could not in good conscience recommend her for the position.

    So, if I were her career coach, how would I guide her in answering the question? That’s simple. First of all, I would find out why she had trouble with being on time. There is always a root cause. Then, I would ensure she has made adjustments or has the resources she needs to always be on time moving forward.

    As far as how to answer the question, I would recommend that she address the question before it is ever asked. Early on in the interview, I would recommend a dialogue like this:

    “You’ll notice I transitioned to a new role 6 months ago. I would like to be up front and share that I had some personal issues (share if possible) that prevented me from consistently getting to work on time with my previous employer. I’m thankful that my current employer provided me with a new opportunity. I have not missed a day or been late since. And, I can assure you, if I’m chosen for this position, punctuality will be a priority.”

    Want to read more about how to prepare for an interview? Check out these posts from The Point Blog:

    3 Tips for Eliminating the Stress of a Job Interview

    How to Answer the Interview Question “What is your greatest weakness?”

    Authenticity and the Job Interview

  • 4 Advantages to Hiring Workers Over 50

    4 Advantages to Hiring Workers Over 50

    In writing about how to increase your candidate pool,  multiple LinkedIn comments cropped up related to hiring workers over 50.   For example, one comment read:

    “Don’t practice age discrimination or you could miss out on some rock steady workers. Those who give thumbs down to the over 50 crowd really do miss out on some great employees.”

    Through these comments, it was obvious I should have added a 5th way to increase your candidate pool in the article:  Include Older Workers.

    Also through these comments, there were reasons included as to why hiring workers over 50 is a good idea. Overall, hiring “older” workers can:

    1. Allow you to take advantage of skills and attitudes that are only really acquired over time.  So much of what we learn is through experience and that can only be gained over time.   Hiring those with 25-30+ years of workplace experience brings skills that are only gained through 10,000 plus hours of practice.   Read Outliers for more on 10,000 hours of practice.
    2. Provide mentoring relationships.  Mentoring relationships can go both ways but having older workers mentor younger workers can allow for the dissemination of things learned through experience (#1) without a mentee having to experience the setback and heartbreaks of bad decisions.   Not to mention the meaningful relationships that add value to any organization.
    3. Help with perspective.  I mean this in two ways.  I have experienced workers that are older than I am that can best be described as “wise”.  Meaning, they have a perspective that helps me, well, get some perspective.   Teaching and demonstrating not to sweat the small stuff, enjoying the stages of life and acting with patience and perseverance are qualities older workers can instill in the workplace.  And that brings me to the second view of bringing perspective in the workplace. In the larger context of diversity, hiring workers of all ages helps a workplace innovate.
    4. Help you understand your customer.  Chances are your customers are in all different ages and stages of life.  Having a workforce that is pigeon-holed into just one demographic limits your ability to see multiple markets and angles, thus limiting innovation and revenue possibilities.

    What advantages does your organization gain from “older” workers?

  • Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch: 9 Takeaways from Adam Grant at #SHRM18

    Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch: 9 Takeaways from Adam Grant at #SHRM18

    “The work of culture building is never done.  It’s always a work in progress.” – Adam Grant

    People were excited about the concert Tuesday night at #SHRM18, but I was giddy about hearing Adam Grant speak that morning.  The organizational psychology nerd in me was so excited to hear Adam Grant speak, and his comments did not disappoint.

    Top takeaways from his presentation all centered around company culture:

    1. What got you here won’t get you there. Hire for cultural contribution (if you are a big company).  Cultural fit is still important for startups.

    I think most people miss Adam’s overall point in this.  Many simply hear him say don’t hire for cultural fit.  But he cited a study showing start-ups that focused on hiring for cultural fit above other characteristics had a 0% failure rate, surviving for at least 15 years.  Interestingly though, what happens post IPO is that cultural  fit is the worst way to hire.  As a company grows, you need more change and adaptation. Cultural fit doesn’t sit as well.  Instead, look at what is missing from your culture and hire people that can help you fill gaps and adapt.

    2. Not hiring toxic people is more important than hiring good people. Regardless of company size, hire givers, not takers.

    Adam stated that the cost savings of not hiring a selfish employee are more than twice as valuable as hiring a superstar, or the top 1% of people in terms of performance.  In addition, the negative impact of a taker is more than double to triple the positive impact of hiring a giver.

    This is because givers make cultural contribution.  They 1) share their knowledge 2) make connections and 3) create an environment of sharing.  All of which lead to innovation.  Takers sabotage all of this.

    3. Worried about how to screen out toxic people?  Ask one simple question.

    Adam suggested taking anything you are worried about hurting the culture of your organization and asking candidates how common they think it is.   For example, “What percentage of the population do you think is fundamentally selfish?”  Then it is your job to ask them how they came up with that estimate.  If their answer gets back to the fact that they think people are fundamentally selfish, then they are most likely fundamentally selfish.  Steer clear.

    4. Hire disagreeable givers.  

    People who are takers are not the same thing as people who are disagreeable.  You can be agreeable and be a giver or a taker and be disagreeable and be a giver or a taker.  Think four-box grid. Disagreeable givers aren’t afraid to speak up, saying what no one wants to say, which leads to better results. They are more committed advocates for original thinking and are often disagreeing because they are intensely loyal and passionate about the company and the mission.  You need to hear them; they give through challenging.

    For more on this idea, take a look at Adam’s Ted Talk on the subject.

    5. In order for people and companies to thrive, build a culture that welcomes upward challenge.

    When was the last time you questioned or disagreed with your boss?  Do you feel comfortable doing so?  If not, and if you aren’t alone in your organization, most likely your company isn’t capable of remarkable results.  Adam cited Bridgewater,  a company where, “no one has the right to hold a critical opinion without speaking up about it.”   Their website says the culture is one in which, “meaningful relationships are pursued through radical truth and radical transparency.”   One dimension of performance evaluations at Bridegewater is challenging upward.  People are actually rated on whether or not they challenge their boss and their boss’ boss, all the way up the ladder.   The company has consistently outperformed its competition in the market.

    6. Create a negative feedback video.  

    Most people hate to be challenged and hate to receive negative feedback.  But Adam’s talk emphasized that both are necessary for a great culture to thrive. Great leaders seek out both challenge and negative feedback.  He showed a hilarious video of his colleagues all reading negative feedback they received from students.  When employees saw the negative feedback videos there was an 11% increase in a growth mindset.  Creating such a video shows you can take it and opens people up to realize that there is nothing that can’t be voiced.  It is the beginning of a culture where people can speak truth to ideas.

    7. To communicate original ideas, give people a reference with a tune they know.  

    If you have a truly original idea, most likely people lack the schema or reference point to understand it.  If you can relate your idea to another in a different context (for example,  the match.com for companies and job seekers) people are more likely to understand and be open to your idea. “You have to take your unfamiliar idea and make it familiar,” says Adam.  The more you know outside of your organization and your industry, the better you are at making connections to get your ideas adopted.

    8. People who really believe in a mission and are able to contribute in the most meaningful ways are ruthless prioritizers.

    People in this category are able to not pursue a good idea because it isn’t as good as another idea.  What you aren’t working on is often more important than what you are working on.

    9. Crowdsource questions, problems and requests making it easier for people to be givers. It’s imperative to create channels for knowledge sharing.

    This gives people the opportunity to ask for help, especially when they have an unproven idea.  An innovation tournament where problems and requests are presented and people work together on solving them is a good way to put this idea into action.

     

    Adam Grant’s points at #SHRM18 and in any of his other talks or books show what makes him one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and a part of Fortune’s 40 under 40.  His ideas are 1) grounded in research and 2) unconventional. His ideas disprove the status quo with data and science. He’s the type of scientist-practitioner we should all strive to be.

    Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

    Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

     

    Like this post? You may also enjoy:

    Consider Culture Contribution When Hiring 

    2017 Book of the Year

     

  • What Does a Candidates’ “Interview Experience” Say About Your Organization?

    What Does a Candidates’ “Interview Experience” Say About Your Organization?

    Interviews are tough – both for the interviewer and the interviewee. I’ve had the pleasure of facilitating both in-person and phone interviews and frequently coach clients to prepare them for interviews.

    Thinking back to my personal experiences in interviewing for jobs, two in particular stand out. One was with a large organization that was quite intimidating. In the waiting room, I sat along with several other candidates interviewing for the same position. When called into the conference room, I sat on one side of the table while 5 individuals in suits sat on the other. I was in my early twenties and recall how overwhelmed I felt fielding questions from all directions.

    Thinking ahead a few years, I recall interviewing with one person, the person who would become my boss and mentor. He made me feel at home. He noted my achievements and qualifications and quickly made me feel like a could easily become a beneficial team member for the organization. I listened more than I talked. It was a great interview experience. And, I received an information packet about the organization before I left the interview.

    By the way, I got both of those jobs and learned so much from each. I will say the interview experience was closely connected with my mindset going into each job and leaving each job.

    So, what does your interview experience say about your organization. Here are three questions to think about:

    1. Is your organization welcoming? (offer a drink; in team interviews, allow for a circle setting as opposed to the first example I provided)

    2. Do you allow the individual the opportunity to listen and ask questions? (share the company mission and why you love to work there; allow for back and forth dialogue)

    3. Do you provide the candidate with a takeaway? (company brochure, pen, etc.)

    Regardless of whether or not you hire the candidate, you certainly want them to be able to say, “that’s a great company, even if I didn’t get the job. I want to do business there and will share my experience with family and friends.”