Although it’s been a couple of decades, I still remember my first hire. In those days, I was definitely not an expert. When I think back to those days, I have to smile because I was so naïve about the hiring process. Fortunately, I had a mentor who patiently taught me, and I learned the[…]
My bathrobe is soft, warm, and best suited for a cold winter day and a hot cup of coffee. Yet it was over 90 degrees, and I wore my bathrobe in public. Not Walmart-public, but more public than the privacy of my home. You’re probably thinking I’ve gone off the deep end, but I assure[…]
“If you’re going to play the game, boy you gotta learn to play it right,” sang Kenny Rogers in his song The Gambler. This song popped into my head as I ate lunch in a restaurant while observing two families with small children who had very different definitions of good behavior for their children. In[…]
Every day I hear business owners lament the fact that they can’t find good employees. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had hundreds of qualified applicants to choose from? That sure sounds awesome, but when it comes to recruiting, you can have too much of a good thing and that creates a daunting and[…]
DON’T LET GREAT CANDIDATES EXIT BEFORE THEY START You’ve done the hard work of recruiting and found the perfect employee. Now you can relax and wait for them to arrive on their first day of work. Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on a job well done. Stop right there! Don’t be[…]
Running a business is a lot like a reality TV show. You have an ultimate goal or mission and a time frame in which to achieve it. A group of people are thrown together and the fun ─ or chaos ─ begins. In business, you hope for the fun and do your best to prevent[…]
The most important thing I’ve learned in my career as a human resources expert and recruiting strategist (both in corporate America and as a small business owner), is when I don’t like the results I’m getting, I almost always should have changed what I was doing much faster than I actually did — like my[…]
Happy April Fools’ Day! This is no April Fools’ joke just a little something to help you avoid wasting valuable time and money on a candidate who fools you with a perfect resume. On a recent flight from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach, my seat mate rushed to get in a last phone call before takeoff.[…]
Most small business owners are using social media to attract customers or sell products. An often overlooked social media use with huge potential is to use it as a recruiting tool. Competition for skilled people is fierce and small businesses are uniquely positioned to use social media to attract the best, most talented people to[…]
In a recent post, I talked about things to consider before hiring. Now, the tough work begins because the major factor that consistently separates top businesses from businesses that never quite take off is the people you hire — and how you hire them. I’m going to share three tips that will help you hire the right people[…]