Can You Spot
Eddie? Avoid Eddie
by Attracting Real Talent The Secret to
SuccessWatch Out for Eddie Haskell
If you're old enough
to remember Leave It To Beaver, or if you've caught a re-run on "Nick
at Nite," you know who Eddie Haskell is. He's Wally's smooth talking friend,
and no matter what trouble he may have caused, he was always able to charm his
way past Mrs. Cleaver.
Now before you say, "what does this have to do with me," consider this:
There are a lot of "Eddie Haskell's" out there--and they're trying
to get a job with you!
The problem with Eddie Haskell's is that they're hard to spot. Often they come
disguised as perfect candidates. They have the right experience. They say the
right things. They offer polished responses to all your questions. And they
can present impeccable references. Just one problem--they're still troublemakers!
And in the worst cases, they actually misrepresent their skills and abilities.
Take a look at the top performers in your organization. No doubt, they're talented,
hard-working team players. They are customer focused and eager to solve problems.
But, were they great interviewees? Some may have been, but many more probably
were not. Here's why: great employees don't change jobs all that often, and
therefore, many don't interview that well. They may be apprehensive about the
process or just plain inexperienced in job hunting.
Then there's good old Eddie, he loves to job hop--and he's an expert at
the process. He knows how to make a very good first impression and position
himself as a perfect job candidate. He's sort of a chameleon who only shows
his true colors after being hired.
Now take a look at your candidate evaluation process. Can Eddie Haskell beat
your system? Do you rely on subjective judgments made primarily through interview
questions? Or do you have more objective measures in place to validate a candidate's
skills and abilities? These measures could include assessment testing, reference
checking, and even work simulations.
The next time your local newspaper prints the employment section, take a quick
read. If you can keep you eyes open long enough to get past the first few
ads, you'll see a disturbing trend. Most recruitment ads are horrid. They're
dull. They're little more than a list of requirements, and they offer almost
nothing to attract real talent.
Online job posts are no better. Sometimes they're longer, but again, most
say little more than "this is what we need." Remember, Eddie's out
there reading these, and he's looking for the next new thing to pique his
interest.
Recruitment advertising, whether online or off, is marketing. To make your
marketing successful, and attract real talent, you need to create compelling
copy. You need to sell. And you need to give candidates a strong reason to
take action--now! Make ads visible with intriguing titles that capture
the attention of the best candidates. Include detailed information about the
benefits of working for your company.
Many online recruiting methods are great resume generators. To separate the
gems from the masses, most companies employ some sort of resume screening
process. Typically, these processes focus on making sure a candidate's skills
and experience meet or exceed posted job requirements.
Eddie knows this, and he knows how to beat your process by carefully "beefing-up"
his resume. He may "puff-up" his responsibilities or load-up on
key words for your resume scanning system to find.
While the solution is not to abandon the resume screening process, you may
need to devise a new scoring system--one that emphasizes past records
of accomplishment, success trends, job longevity, and participation in activities
that are consistent with the profile of your ideal job candidate.
Eddie Haskell is easy to find. He'll come running to you. But your ideal job
candidate is probably happily employed somewhere else right now. To avoid
hiring Eddie, you need to find creative ways to capture the attention and
interest of these passive candidates.
The two best methods for attracting passive job seekers are through referrals
and direct recruiting. Start with your current exceptional employees. Create
incentives for referrals. Get them involved in brainstorming recruiting ideas.
If that fails to produce the results you want, or if time is a critical concern,
get a professional staffing or search firm involved. Challenge them to cull
their database and use their network to uncover the best available talent.
Here are a few other ways to improve your recruiting process to avoid Eddie:
Prepare "success profiles", each containing a standard job description
as well as information and measurement criteria to help determine the traits
needed and the achievements expected from each employee in your organization.
Include this profile information on your website and in your recruitment
advertising. Great candidates, who will make great employees, want to review
information about what it takes to be successful and what they need to "fit
well" and succeed in your company.
Be pro-active. Create a process that will push the best people responding
to your advertising to the top of the list. Contact those people immediately
or you will lose them to someone else.
Train your staff to work with the best people. The best candidates need extra
effort. They want to know more about the companies they are going to approach
for career opportunities. The caliber of the people you hire will directly
reflect the quality of your recruiting team.
Keep in mind that the process for locating the best personnel is very different
from the process used to eliminate bad candidates. Take a good look at your
hiring process. See where Eddie might be able to slip past the cracks. Spend
the resources needed to attract the best people, and make sure you know how
to spot--and get rid of Eddie when he shows up at your door!
Resources
Valuable information for clients, candidates and employees of Johnson & Hill
