Search Results - stupid decisions

Topic: Wednesday Wisdom: Risky Business: ck to double that figure again in 2009. He works from a home office, and all was well until he flew in for meetings at corporate recently; apparently while he was there IT caught him surfing for porn on one of the office computers, and they’ve got a no-tolerance policy for that sort of thing. His manager is now fighting to keep him in the face of an HR department that says he has to go; the decision is currently in the hands of the CEO. I think they should just coach the guy for being stupid and move on. Am I missing something? And as the recruiter responsible for his hire, should I have uncovered this (no pun intended) in the reference checks? Scratching My Head Dear Scratching, I have to say that I agree with you on the coaching for stupidity thing; I think there’s a balance between appropriate and inappropriate behavior in most situations, and the human stupid factor can never be fully discounted when people are involved. But I really like that you brought up reference checks in this context. Could you have foreseen this with better due diligence on the candidate? Maybe, maybe not. I’ve never gone fishing for this particular behavior in a standard reference check, and I don’t think it’s possible or even feasible to cover every potential pitfall in every candidate in advance. But it is possible to structure the reference check in a way that helps you to connect the dots of consistent behavior reflecting a candidate’s competencies and values. In a nutshell – and regardless of the laws that pertain to your geographic location - great reference checks have two clear guidelines: they should provide third-party perspective about a candidate’s competencies for the job and work environment, and the content should have been supplied in good faith. There are some good reads to be found here and here for more technical HR information on the subject, and there’s a sample reference check template attached to this post that you might find interesting as well. Use it if you find it helpful. When checking references, a great recruiter listens for trends of behaviors, probes for inconsistencies, and reports the findings as factually as possible back to the employer. Some recruiters see this as the final chance to “sell” the hiring manager on the candidate; I think it’s your final chance to discover if others have seen the same behaviors that you have seen (or suspected) in the interview and assessment process. Use it well and wisely, and you’ll be a stronger consultant back to your clients. ** In my day job, I’m the Head of Products for Improved Experience, where we help employers use feedback to measure and manage competitive advantage in hiring and retention. Learn more about us here. Do you have a question you'd like answered in this weekly forum? Drop me a line!…; Added by Claudia Faust at 7:24am on May 13, 2009

Blog Post: The Counter Offer Candidate: Theyre back! Counter offers have made a recovery along with the demand for talent. Always a possibility, they are now a probability when a quality/qualified employees gets…; Added by Cindy Cremona, CPC at 9:32am on June 5, 2012

Blog Post: Job Seekers - Don't take rejection personally: Rejection…; Added by Martin Ellis at 4:18am on May 13, 2013

Blog Post: I've finally made sense of "The Apprentice!": So you're over Agency work.. over the sales? Over the cold calls? over the rejection? over the financial expectations? the stats? the KPI's? the managers looking over your shoulder? The feeling that…; Added by Dan Nuroo at 9:25am on February 15, 2009

Comment on: Topic 'HOLIER THAN THOU INTERVIEWS': k fair is a kindergarten word so that's not my problem, however if something is unrealistic i think maybe it's time to take issue with the status quo of it is what it is. Tom, i am not sure if it's fees or if it is a paranoid fear of making the wrong decision or if it's inexperienced HR people who are looking for some reason to have something to say. It's been my experience lately that internal recruiters are raising the bar for TPR referred candidates because their internally sourced candidates are not up to par. I am a strong advocate of working through HR but i am finding that as the internals get younger and more inexperienced and more PC it is becoming much more difficult. I decided to use a spin on Rayanne's take. Called the hiring manager and said ,"I have gotten the word that you are going to knock this candidate out because he didn't present in a suit and tie." If this offends you i will apologize in advance but perhaps that is too much of an "interview game" and an unrealistic expectation when your dress code is business casual. What came next will go into my book entitled, "I'm Glad i said Something". Hiring Manager's exact words, "I am glad to know why HR was having such a knee jerk reaction telling me that they didn't think he was "professional enough" for us. "They don't know jack down there." "I think they sit around and dream up stupid reasons not to hire people when we need help." "Tell your candidate that he will have an offer by tomorrow or we will both be looking for a job." My CPA got an offer this morning and a hiring bonus. So maybe, just maybe it doesn't have to be what it is if we take issue with the unrealistic. It may not work every time but i am going back to another client today to ask them if my candidate had said, "They don't know jack", instead of "They don't know dip (or whatever the internal thought they heard)" Is it realistic or even reasonable to use one comment to knock out a candidate who is otherwise very highly qualified. After all it wasn't one of the 7 words we can't say on television. Maybe it's part of my job to try and bring a little common sense back into my little pond. Maybe there will be a few ripples.…; Added by Sandra McCartt at 10:53am on May 21, 2010

Blog Post: You can never go wrong with having "Good Intention" "Honesty" and "Compassion": We all have seen all the advice/tips that we all shared here on how to become a successful recruiter and they are all awesome tips for sure:)

One thing though that I would like to add,…; Added by Jennifer LaVigne at 10:35am on January 20, 2009

Blog Post: Are you an expert or a beginner?: From Our Time To Act:

I may be a bit odd. It is actually quite likely. But one thing that has always seemed strange to me is our level of…; Added by Joe Gerstandt at 9:58am on December 10, 2008

Blog Post: Wednesday Wisdom: Cliff Notes for Candidates: Dear Claudia,

How much is too much when preparing a candidate for interviews?

Curious

Dear Curious,

This is a great question, because it hints…; Added by Claudia Faust at 9:49pm on June 24, 2008

Blog Post: It ain't rocket science, folks. Or is it?

Sometimes I think too much.

I know this about myself and counter that tendency by focusing on the slogan (yes another one) "Action breeds action" every single day. "When in doubt send them…

Added by lisa rokusek at 10:41am on September 14, 2011

Blog Post: How NOT to interview someone who already has a job.

Answer: Don’t Waste Their Time!

You can stop reading now since I already gave the answer. If you read on, I will talk about best practices for interviewing candidates whose time…

Added by Renee Mangrum at 9:06pm on November 15, 2011