geek evaluation

Many companies do not realize the amount of money wasted on people that turn out to be non-performers in the company. While most companies have felt the economic crunch, others are still trying to keep upbeat about it. It becomes then really important to be able to recognize  those who are hard workers, and from those who are only costing money to the organization. Although an early step of identification is to weed out wrong hires during their skill assessment, but many a times due to reasons such as lack of judgment, lack of proper skill evaluation etc. companies’ end up hiring the wrong candidate. There are many reasons why eliminating  non-performers in your business would turn out to be a smart business move.

Reasons why not to keep Non-Performers in the Company:

1. They Cause Unworthy Customer Service- A non-performer generally brings in  a wrong attitude towards your business and work in general. If you have a non performer at work, their attitude will ultimately show up on your client. These are the kind of people who do not want to do anything to help the company and are not impelled or inclined to provide a good customer service. You client would naturally not like to deal with someone who is not catering to its needs, and as a business owner you must address these issues before you lose your precious clientele towards competition Read more…

Make no mistake about it, any companies hiring decisions make or break its business. What companies often overlook while making a wrong hire is the cost of: training time, management time and workforce productivity losses which ultimately leads to loss of company morale, employee productivity and its sales. Elementary to building a business with top resources, is implementing a hiring process that attracts the right people ; screens and evaluates candidates who have the right attitude and engages them to come on board ready to hit on the company’s challenges.

Companies with specific goals and mission require a strategic Talent Acquisition plan tailored with a carefully defined ‘New employee selection process’ to get them where they wish to reach. Business leaders of these organizations know that the success of their organization depends on the quality of their people inside. Hence, a conscious hiring process takes into account for this very purpose. Read more…

How many excellent managers, doctors, salesmen, secretaries, cleaners, cooks or designers do you know? I bet very, very few. It’s damn hard to find a good worker, of any kind. Since being in the recruitment field it puzzles me a lot: why only few people are becoming true dedicated professionals in their area? Why are so many just mediocre performers?

Can it be that mostly people are just in the wrong jobs? And if it is so then why are they not trying to find the right one? Can it be that for some people it is just not important?

Based on my personal experiences and observations, I think the lack of drive in employees varies depending on individual circumstances that can range from burnout to “it’s just a job” attitudes. The rationale can include psychological reasons that hold back that many, which includes: “Show me the money (no real loyalty), no matter how hard I work, I will never get a promotion”; “It’s not what you know, but who you know, the economy is gone to hell and a hand basket, I have no passion for what I do” Read more…

I am not Nostradamus, but I predict that there will be a shortage of skilled workers in the coming years due to the surgence of telecommuting jobs. I predict that more and more will engage in freelancing or consultancy. I predict that younger workers will be promoted faster than the seniors. I predict that soon there shall be employment scarcity if companies continue to disregard the importance of talent in their workers.

The most important company resource, that is overlooked by non-human resource people is talent. I have to admit, most companies, especially the traditional ones does not really prioritize it, thereby leaving it to the hands of the human resource department. If  such companies continuously fail to notice talent – that smart, sophisticated, business-minded employee with a knack for technology, globally astute, and operationally agile person – companies will likely suffer its productivity.

You being a successful company maybe attractive to your clients but doesn’t convey the same thing as to your employees, how much of that success are you ready to share with the people who are helping you to achieve it. Companies should start branding themselves not as an “employer of choice” because they give excellent fringe benefits or because other companies sees it as such, but because they are a company dedicated to satisfy workers’ expectation and committed to uphold continuous learning in the workplace, work-life balance, personally-fulfilling roles, fair management, innovative rewards and recognition programs.

Geek Evaluation identifies strategies for motivating and retaining top talent at the present time. Dorie Escusa, Relationship Manager for Geek Evaluation suggests the following tactics in motivating (and retaining) top talents in a company : Create a “sense of purpose” – Engagement and retention improves when people understand how they connect to the “Big Picture” and how they make a difference; Provide meaningful work – Allowing people to do what they do best and make a significant contribution is key to engagement and retention; Solicit ideas – Involvement in decisions gives people a sense of control in uncertain times, shows them their opinions matter, and improves decision acceptance; Let people know where they stand – Setting tough but realistic goals is motivating even in a tough environment; and Enhance trust and communication – Trust is built when leaders improve credibility by being candid, demonstrate reliability by ensuring their actions are consistent with business objectives and values, and and are accessible.

Escusa also offers the following guidelines for the involvement of HR in employee goal setting:

1. Know the goals – HR should be involved when senior managers plan annual goals to be aware of underlying issues and challenges.
2. Get buy-in – The executive team should support HR’s efforts to align goals and help communicate the importance of the program.
3. Cascade goals – Once goals are set at the top of the organization, they should work their way down to all employees.
4. Ensure consistency – As goals are established further down the organization, HR can assist by creating standards and monitoring consistency.
5. Hold everyone accountable – Managers should ensure goals are measurable with specific deadlines and then hold employees accountable.
6. Reinforce through development – Ensure that employees have skills and tools to achieve established goals using development plans monitored by HR.
7. Work the gaps – Managers can work with employees individually. HR should identify gaps in organizational provision and address issues proactively with the Learning team.
8. Encourage year-long communication – Initial goals may be agreed but paid no further attention. Sending reminders to update goals is one way for HR to encourage a culture of frequent manager/employee communication.
9. Monitor compliance – Managers should monitor progress and completion of employee goals HR should review overall process and report to executives and department heads.
10. Measure twice, cut once – Goals should be a major component of a company’s annual performance appraisal where employees are measured and held accountable.

Hiring Guide Series (Guide 5): Training Future Company Leaders

As the person in-charge of motivating company employees, you have the primary role of developing leaders from within. One of the best practices in “succession planning” is to have a comprehensive plan that ensures leadership continuity and talent building from within your company.

In developing leaders you need to acquire a set of innate skills that can increase productivity in the workplace, give direction and focus to each staff, strong intuition in identifying talent, and boost an employee’s morale.

Since leadership skills can be developed, it is important to lift the lid by training your leaders with long-term goals in mind. This effort will increase success and profitability without cutting chunk in the company’s budget. Besides, without leadership training, long-term performance and inefficiency can cripple the company’s overall objectives and mission.

Identifying potential leaders and developing their leadership skills will translate into sound direction for the company and success in the future by adhering to the organization’s missions and visions.

When you work to developing leaders, you are making an investment. If an individual is made to feel like a valuable commodity being groomed for bigger and better, chances are they will stick around. Turnover is expensive and it can be greatly reduced with investments in leadership development. Also, the wisdom they develop will also allow them to recognize other potential leaders and set up those employees for long-term success.

And although many internal and external factors can influence morale, the greatest impact comes from the top. The majority of managers sincerely desire to lead a team with strong morale, amazing productivity and recognizable effectiveness, and this comes through in the way they lead those around them.

Hiring Guide Series Guide 5: Sustain Workforce With Activities

A good company culture that lives up to its company standards toward its employees helps sustain company workforce. Needless to say, as a recruiting officer, it is your main goal to satisfy his needs as an employee. And there are various ways to retain an employee. Involve him to internal and external events that will boost employee morale, teamwork, and company-employee relationships.

Activities inside the company:

1. Reward your team. Have small team lunch or dinners in the office
2. Engage your employees to join open-forums, brainstorming sessions, and company talks to discuss news and updates, or issues.
3. Play a “treasure hunt” game. The winning pair or team will receive good prizes.
4. Encourage everyone in the office to join profit-sharing activities, but never impose it as a “compulsory.”
5. Make your department an open door. As the human resource officer, your job also entails to guide your employees and provide counselling sessions. Encourage everyone to talk to you about work problems, or personal problems that affects working relationships and work as a job.

Activities outside the company:

1. Join a sports league in your community. Start up company-sponsored basketball, volleyball, or golfing leagues in which any employee can join and play for free.
2. Team gathering for charity. You may ask the support of non-profit organizations in your community on how your company can be of help to their vision activities.
3. Let your employees attend seminars, symposiums or conferences outside of your company. This way, they will experience meeting other people in the industry.
4. Reward your team. Have small team dinners outside the office.
5. Company Outings. Go to private resorts or beaches every summer.

Hiring Guide for Small Business (Guide 4):
The New Hire Aboard

The “boarding” process of a new employee is just as critical as the hiring process. It should provide new hires with the knowledge, tools, and contacts they need to success in their new role in the company. More importantly, the boarding process is about making the new employee feel comfortable, safe, and welcome in his or her new environment.

If in case you have an employee who is not fitting in with his colleagues, take some time to assess the situation and consider implementing the following:

Initiate group activities everyone can get involved in. Organize a lunch outing, a creative brainstorming session, or other fun activities so your new team member can feel a part of the group.

Ask team leaders to step up and make new employees feel welcome. Encourage employees to set up “lunch dates” with three others they don’t know very well and to follow up on their experiences.

Consider a mentor program. Pair a new employee and veteran employee together so the latest member of your team can learn the ins and outs of the company.

Take on the responsibility of getting to know your employees. Find out their strengths and weaknesses. If you work on building a positive and trusting working relationship with them, in time, they will feel more confident talking to you about what they want in a workplace environment.

You have practised days for the answers to the crucial questions that shall determine your future; whether you get hired or not, that is. Gone are the days of “tell me something about yourself” because there is a new batch of questions that a great number of recruitment officers like asking job applicants. Geek Evaluation have rounded up its network of recruiting officers to dish out their top ten interview questions:

What circumstances bring you here today?
One recruiter laughingly shared her experience with a job applicant who answered, “I am here for the interview.” Obviously, you are there for that reason; you don’t have to reinstate. Simply answer something like: I am here to tell you what I know and what I can do for the company, and why I am the best applicant there is.

What would you say are your two greatest weaknesses and how do you work at overcoming them?
It is hard for someone to admit his weakness; what more to tell it to other people. Only someone with an assertive or strong personality can open that to public and that kind of candidate is what’s sought after by recruiters. It is believed that when a person acknowledges his weakness, he can counter it good positive disposition.

How do you alleviate stress?
With great power comes great responsibility, and with great responsibility you get stressed. Having a senior position (mostly) in a company comes with it and there are different ways to alleviate it. People have their own preferred comfort zone. For example: when a writer gets writer’s block syndrome, she seeks solitude by looking at the clouds or walking it off.

How do you typically deal with conflict?
Conflicts are normal in the workplace. When it is asked, simply recall a past experience and illustrate how you managed to deal with it. Just a tip: do not bad-mouth a past employer or a past colleague. This is a bad sign to all recruiting officers as they believe that you will have the tendency to badmouth them too in the future.

What are three goals you’ve achieved this past year?
Recruiting officers like hearing what a candidate’s plan for the future and the goals they have achieved in the past because if a person knows how to plan and succeed, he can do also do it the workplace.

What was a major obstacles or risks you overcame in the past year?
This is the type of question that requires no bull answers. Recalling past obstacles whether professionally or personally is all right.

When were you most satisfied in your job?
The interviewer wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences. “I was very satisfied in my last job, because I worked directly with the customers and their problems; that is an important part of the job for me.”

What salary are you seeking?
It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer would be: “I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?”

Why did you leave (or why are you leaving) your job?
If you are unemployed, state your reason for leaving your previous company always in a positive context. But if you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job based on your need to a newer environment, better remuneration, or more challenging responsibilities.

Why should we hire you?
Summarize your experiences: “With five years’ experience working in the financial industry and my proven record of saving the company money, I could make a big difference in your company. I’m confident I would be a great addition to your team.”

Hiring Guide for Small Business (Guide 3):
Get To Know The Recruitment Process

A job applicant becomes engaged with your organization as soon as he becomes aware of your company and motivated to apply in your company’s available career opportunity. So when you receive a candidate’s application, it is your responsibility as a recruitment officer to communicate that his file was received or is being considered or not for the position, and also the usual timeline of the recruitment process. Keeping your candidates connected throughout the recruitment process sets an expectation that your company takes part or adheres to good and fair open communication within the company.

The premise of the paragraph above is all about active engagement with your candidates circling about the recruitment process. In a recruitment process, I could say that the objective of it is “managing your candidates the right way”. How do you go about it?

It starts with application, second is the sorting, followed by aptitude testing, then setting of the interview, next is another sorting, and lastly the negotiation/final interview.

From the many qualifying traits of a recruitment officer, aside from having the capability to read a person’s personality and having strong analytical skill, organization is one of the most valued traits in human resources department. Imagine a day flooded with applicants and resumes?

When an applicant submits his resume, make sure that you go through his resume. Based from his qualifications, you can assess if he proceeds to the next stage of the recruitment process. After you have sorted the “short-listed” candidates, you can schedule a job pre-screening test or go straight to the interviewing stage. Just remember: when you screen or interview an applicant, make a quick note on your notebook if he is likely to proceed to the final stage of the recruitment process. And once you have selected your applicants down to two or three, you are now about to negotiate with him. Candidate negotiations is where you discuss with him what to expect in your company or pre-employment requirements like orientation.