Chad Schnaterly's Posts - RecruitingBlogs2024-03-28T16:56:22ZChad Schnaterlyhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/PascalBenardhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1526998330?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=0bwb6wqvbijuk&xn_auth=noHuman Resource Planning with the Trailer Park Boystag:recruitingblogs.com,2013-11-25:502551:BlogPost:17732942013-11-25T23:52:07.000ZChad Schnaterlyhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/PascalBenard
<p>Although we Canadians all know who the Trailer Park Boys are, there is a minute possibility that some of you non-Canadians reading this don’t. So aside from the surprisingly detailed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_Park_Boys" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry</a>, let me add briefly that most seasons of the Trailer Park Boys would go somewhat along these lines:</p>
<p>Julian (the visionary trailer park boy) would devise a big picture, potentially lucrative (but illegal) scheme…</p>
<p>Although we Canadians all know who the Trailer Park Boys are, there is a minute possibility that some of you non-Canadians reading this don’t. So aside from the surprisingly detailed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_Park_Boys" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry</a>, let me add briefly that most seasons of the Trailer Park Boys would go somewhat along these lines:</p>
<p>Julian (the visionary trailer park boy) would devise a big picture, potentially lucrative (but illegal) scheme to ensure him and Ricky would become rich.<br/> Ricky (the more practical and less intelligent TPB), would mess up said plan in trying to execute it and by the end of the season they all go to jail, yet again.</p>
<p>Although I’m a fan of the TPBs, I don’t find this plot formula as entertaining when I see it play out in a Human Resources environment (ok, sometimes I do). How does this usually happen? Some smart, well-read academic HR type lets fly with the buzzwords and before you know if it’s all “strategic” this and “business partner” that. Sadly, many times these buzz word magicians have limited practical experience when it comes to nuts and bolts HR practice. Don’t get me wrong…I’m highly educated and I can sling buzzwords with the best of them so I don’t instinctively dislike or disagree with big picture HR planning. But without a real intimate understanding of the nuances and logistics of working with clients and employees, the best laid plans of even the smartest trailer park boy oft go astray.</p>
<p>What’s that? You want an example?</p>
<p><img width="50%" style="float: right;" alt="HR and Business Leader sharking hands" src="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/images/blog/shaking-hands01.png" border="0"/>I recall a corporate HR department coming up with a great idea to formally track all employee relations issues (this was a very high ER environment) by supervisor so as to identify those managers who needed additional training on how to effectively manage their problem employees. On paper a great idea right? Would allow the organization to ensure training was being applied efficiently, managers felt empowered to deal with these issues, save money by reducing lawsuits and severances resulting from improper terminations, etc. In practice (You know…where it actually matters); there was strange result….employee relations issues nose-dived. Huh….was it some kind of twisted Hawthorne effect (Google it)? It had all the academic HR folks scratching their heads and whipping up a ton of 4 celled matrixes laden PowerPoint slides in a vain attempt to inject some sanity into a world of chaos and irrationality. The reason for this was pretty straight forward, and to a guy working with these managers, pretty obvious if only they had just asked me. The last thing these busy managers wanted or (in their minds) needed was someone scrutinizing how many of their hiring choices went south and then singling them out for additional training that they didn’t have time for. So what did they do? They quietly swept all but the most urgent ER issues under the carpet and waited for the initiative to blow over….at which point I was left to deal with a pig through snake pile of ER issues. As Ricky would say “it was a worst case Ontario”.</p>
<p>So what’s the solution that prevents the perfectly concocted marriage of HR strategy and HR practice from ending in a bitter divorce? It’s simple really, Ricky and Julian need to plan and execute their schemes together. Or in the HR setting, maybe the division between HR pros who do strategy and those that do practice need to end. I’m not saying a really smart strategic HR pro can’t account for the idiosyncrasies we see in practice and vice versa, I’m just saying it’s tough to do. At the very least organizations should have the old HR practice veterans around the table when they want to talk big picture planning and expose them to that process? And maybe the planning folks should jump into the trenches now and then to sharpen and hone their skills to keep their planning efforts relevant? When it’s all said and done, it doesn’t take “rocket appliances” to see HR strategy is more valuable when it’s aligned with business and HR practice.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Chad is part owner of Interviewer Assistant, an interview scheduling tool made by recruiters for recruiters: <a href="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#1155CC">www.interviewerassistant.com</font></a></p>How not to Schedule Interviews for Passive Candidates!tag:recruitingblogs.com,2013-11-14:502551:BlogPost:17698742013-11-14T00:00:00.000ZChad Schnaterlyhttps://recruitingblogs.com/profile/PascalBenard
<div class="blog-text clearfix prel mtm mbm"><div class="_25"><p><a href="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/images/frustrated-guy01.png" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" height="279" src="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/images/frustrated-guy01.png?width=328" width="213"></img></a></p>
</div>
<p>If recruitment buzzwords were an Olympic sport, the bronze medal has to go to the "passive" candidate (hint on gold</p>
<p>and silver...just try to think like a "strategic" "business partner"). I won't argue that hot labour markets require an extra focus on finding passive candidates, but I would suggest not…</p>
</div>
<div class="blog-text clearfix prel mtm mbm"><div class="_25"><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/images/frustrated-guy01.png"><img class="align-right" src="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/images/frustrated-guy01.png?width=328" height="279" width="213"/></a></p>
</div>
<p>If recruitment buzzwords were an Olympic sport, the bronze medal has to go to the "passive" candidate (hint on gold</p>
<p>and silver...just try to think like a "strategic" "business partner"). I won't argue that hot labour markets require an extra focus on finding passive candidates, but I would suggest not enough attention is paid to how we engage these candidates throughout the recruitment process. If you think you can or should treat the passive candidate the same</p>
<p>way as the active candidate, well...you need to be more strategic there partner.</p>
<p>I have an example from a buddy who recently had the misfortune described below. Keep in mind, he is a passive candidate who is more or less happily employed, but open to new opportunities. This is the timeline of the crime against good recruiting and interview scheduling:</p>
<div class="_75"><h3>Day 1 - Thursday:</h3>
<p>Recruiter (in this case an Agency) called late in the day to propose an interview for next Wednesday or Thursday (how's that for vague...my buddy works for a living remember, like most passives). He didn't hear the voice mail until after hours so called back the next day.</p>
<h3>Day 2 - Friday:</h3>
<p>Our passive hero calls back and leaves a voice mail saying his schedule was tight those two days so needed more guidance on times for a prospective meet and greet.</p>
<h3>Day 5 - Monday:</h3>
<p>Again they called during work hours so he only got the voice mail at the end of the day indicating Thursday morning was ideal. He couldn't phone back because they did not leave a number and the paper he wrote it on initially was at home.</p>
<h3>Day 5 - Monday (encore):</h3>
<p>Again they called during work hours so he only got the voice mail at the end of the day indicating Thursday morning was ideal. He couldn't phone back because they did not leave a number and the paper he wrote it on initially was at home.</p>
<h3>Day 7 - Wednesday:</h3>
<p>Agency phones back with a time for Thursday morning and offers to confirm with an email. Later that evening - interview booked and interview schedule email sent.</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Awesome!</strong> 7 days of dragging a passive candidate around while he tries to manage his life and his current job. How eager do you think he was to go the interview...keep in mind he wasn't looking for a job to start with? What do you think his opinion of Human Resources or recruiters is now?</p>
<p>Did this have to happen this way? Obviously not. Is it ok that this happened this way? In the short term, his interest in the company is very much in doubt now and in the long term, he is sure to have little regard for recruiters. This is unacceptable in my world and is a key driver behind why <a title="Interviewer Assistant" href="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/" target="_blank">Interviewer Assistant</a> was created.</p>
<p>I have seen this situation play out from both the recruiter and applicant side of the table and it's frustrating because it's totally avoidable. With the right interview scheduling software, ideally one that is created by recruiters for recruiters (no knock against those general purpose meeting schedulers, but scheduling interviews is just not the same animal as a lunch date), this interview booking tragedy would never happen.</p>
<p>With <a title="Interviewer Assistant" href="http://www.interviewerassistant.com/" target="_blank">Interviewer Assitant</a>, I think it would have gone more like this:</p>
<h3>Day 1 - Thursday:</h3>
<p>Agency sends out <a title="Interview Schedule Template" href="http://interviewerassistant.com/index.php/customized-email-invitations.html" target="_blank">interview schedule template</a> to Mr. Passive who views it at home that evening and selects his day and time of interview. Later that evening he receives his email confirmation with all the details. Because this process is automated to include all the important details, no more phone tag is required. Think it doesn't work that easy....sorry, you need to join the rest of us in the 21st century.</p>
<p>Ok, how about the recruiter's time in all this? Good question...let's think this though in terms of the <a title="Interviewer Assistant saves you time and money" href="http://interviewerassistant.com/index.php/interviewer-assistant-stream-lines-your-data-entry.html" target="_blank">5 minutes</a> spent setting up the Interview Schedule template as opposed to the countless phone calls and messages (that frankly I'm too lazy to scroll up and count because it makes my head hurt). No doubt in my mind that the better way to woo the passive candidate in the short and long term is with a proper interview scheduling tool...and not with a high volume of unproductive phone calls and voice messages.</p>
<p>Maybe that's just me, but either way, I have to go do some Olympic buzzword training for my next recruitment symposium (it's not enough to work smart...sometimes you have to look smart too!).</p>
</div>