Build a Stronger Team

Use these 10 action steps to build a stronger team:

1) Communicate clearly and frequently.
Few things are more demoralizing to a staff than mixed messages or lack of communication. The good news is it's not difficult to communicate effectively; it does not have to be complicated to outline exactly what is expected of your team daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly.

2) Motivate your current team with incentives, rewards and most importantly, acknowledgements of a job well done. In many of my interviews with dissatisfied professionals, one of the first things they mention is the fact that their achievements were not noticed nor seem to matter.

3) Praise in public, criticize in private.

4) Promote from within when it makes sense. Nothing motivates current team members more than knowing they, too, can be promoted when they prove themselves worthy. They will strive harder to achieve when they see the rewards of success.

5) Be accessible and available. Having a manager actually listen and be available may make the difference between a successful hire and a failed one.

6) Assign mentors to new hires. The earlier a new team memeber is attached to your organization the quicker you will see results. The mentoring process can help the new hire avoid rookie mistakes and accelerate his/her ramp-up time.

7) Consistently offer training opportunities throughout the year to your staff. Top level performers enjoy challenge and the opportunity to sharpen existing skills and develop new ones. It helps to avoid job burnout and stagnation.

8) Offer the option of a book of the month that those who are interested can read and discuss. Hundreds of excellent books exist that relate to business success and personal professional development. (Contact me for a list of top books if you'd like). This is an excellent and inexpensive way to offer your staff members an opportunity to interact and strengthen their individual performance level.

9) Build your bench. If you see top talent from your competitors in the field, begin a relationship with them so you can contact them when you have an opening. It's not IF you will have an opening; it's when. If you are not doing the all the things noted so far, chances are you are experiencing a talent drain in your organization right now.

10) Establish and continue your relationship with an external recruiter. When all internal efforts are exhausted, or you need professional help hiring top talent, you'll have an ally ready to go to work for you.

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5 Tips for Overcoming Job Search Rejection

There is not much that is better than the feeling of success when searching for a new job. Let face it, it makes us feel good about ourselves on many levels. It validates us as a person and allows us to move forward in life, giving us the opportunity to contribute to a profession and to achieve our own individual goals. We all want it and strive for it.

Nevertheless, for most job seekers, success is infrequent. Each moment of success is sandwiched between mountains of indifference, rejection and apparent failure. If you've been hunting for a job very long, like many others, you know what I'm talking about. The entire job search process is one big exercise in rejection until you win that job you've been striving for.

So, what can you do to ease the sting of rejection?

Here are five survival tips for dealing with the weight of rejection and failure that dampen the success that we all seek:

Remind yourself that you will find another job
Look at the situation from a big picture perspective; yes, you may feel pressure and anxiety as the process draws out and you may feel isolated and begin to question yourself. Remember that this search process will eventually come to an end. You will find employment that's right for you.

Accept that you are in a process, and allow yourself to feel some uncertainty. One day the answers will reveal themselves to you, and you will find the right job.

Go into sales mode
Successful sales professionals will tell you that success is a numbers game. Salespeople know that every rejection is just one step closer to success. With this attitude, you know that rejection leads to success, and you can put rejection into perspective. Just keep going. Count those rejections, and know that you're one step closer to success -- and a good job offer.

Be careful what you wish for
Often times, when you lose out on a job opportunity, it is because it truly wasn't the right job for you. You do not want to win a job that is wrong for you and then have to repeat the process of finding another job. Personally, I can think of at least four jobs that I was rejected from in my own past - I remember feeling dejected and depressed at the time because I felt each one was the "perfect opportunity" for me. As I look back on them now, I am thankful things worked they way they did.

Stay active and positive
Do something every day to further your search and your professional skill set. Positive action diminishes anxiety and other negative feelings. To prevail in today's competitive job search process, you must have a cast iron will and determination that you will win out. Remind yourself daily that you are one day closer to succeeding at this challenge.

Keep in mind that is also important to keep yourself fresh in the search process by not letting it consume you mentally or physically. Stay balanced by getting regular exercise or doing volunteer work as I mentioned in a recent blog.
Avoid desperation
Good recruiters, HR professionals and hiring authorities can sense this miles away. Lose the emotions, tone and body language of "desperation" and "defeat" in your interviews. Sure, you may come across a particular opportunity that sounds great going in, but remind yourself this: Your world won't come to an end if you don't get this job.

I encourage candidates to think of the interview as two professionals having a conversation about a problem. Think of the interview as a problem-solving opportunity with this hiring manager. It allows you to focus on what the employer needs, not your needs. Now you're able to sell yourself demonstrating the many specific ways you can help solve their problem. That's what it really comes down to.

Once you've determined if you are the candidate best suited to solve the employer’s issue, you will be better prepared to gain their attention, respect and desire to know more about you. You can't get there by walking in defeated and lacking in confidence, showing your anxiety and desperation.

If you recently found a new job after a lengthy process, please let me know what you did to combat any rejection you encountered. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for your time and happy hunting!
David Lammert

Give Them What They Want

As a recruiter, I have the unique perspective of hearing not only about what employees seek in the workplace, but also about what employers are looking for from successful employees.

Managing and directing a team of people is a large task that takes enormous time and energy from leaders and managers. At times the role of juggling the needs, feelings and actions of employees can be overwhelming. After talking with thousands of candidates I have found that there are some common themes about what they need to be happiest in the work place. These ideas are shared by those who are happily employed and those who are open to or seeking new opportunity.

Attention to the basics listed below can dramatically improve your employees’ morale as well as increasing your employee retention rate and therefore your company’s profit margins.

Here is the list of what I consistently hear that employees are looking for from their leadership.

1. Provide an explanation of the employees role, what they are supposed to do, and what the rules are. Don't mistake this for micromanaging – rather its managing expectations. Give them parameters so they can work within broad outlines. Then, empower them to do what you've asked.

2. Hold everyone equally responsible for their actions. Often times I hear, "I wish my boss would tell Mike that this is just unacceptable." Hold people accountable in a way that is fair but makes everyone aware of what is and isn't acceptable.

3. Keep them excited. Keep them excited about the company, about the service, about the job, or about a project. Let your positive energy rub off on them.

4. Don't forget to recognize effort. Negative reinforcement is everywhere. Motivate employees by leveraging their strengths, not harping on their weaknesses. Make it a point to praise someone everyday. Employees begin to look elsewhere when they feel unappreciated.

5. Don't disrespect an employee. Don't lose your temper because your staff didn't meet your expectations. It's not productive. Fairness and consistency are important mainstays. If you have to discipline someone that's okay, but do it in a dignified manner.

6. Show leadership. Strong leaders impress those that work for them in a variety of ways. This can be through examples of sound management, whether you are a bold and courageous leader or your style is more of a visionary. Strong leaders bring strength to an organization by providing a characteristic that others don't have and the company sorely needs.

7. Give me some space. Give them something interesting and challenging to work on. Trust them with opportunity and decisions. Encourage and be a part of their professional growth and development. You will be rewarded.

8. Put me in a position to win. Nobody wants to fail or perform poorly. Indecisive leaders keep people in the wrong roles, set unrealistic goals, keep unproductive team members, or change direction unfairly. These behaviors just frustrate everybody and make people feel defeated.

Your job is to make it practical for people to succeed. When you do this, everybody wins.

In the future I will share the common themes I hear from employers about what they seek from employees.

Thanks,
David Lammert

When Networking isn't Working for You

Networking is important; you hear it all the time, especially when you are looking for a job. To do it effectively, it is not only time consuming but for some people it’s downright uncomfortable. You might also ask yourself: if everyone is doing it, where's the competitive advantage for me?

Here's the secret: Most everyone is doing a poor job of it. If you are able to network well (even if you do dislike it) you’ll be well ahead of the pack.

For most people networking is a big drag - something they do only when forced to. There's that luck-of-the-draw feeling about it, especially when you hear stories about how someone was at the right place at the right time. You tell yourself: if you're not a golfer or a regular at happy hour, you're doomed. You'd rather be at home with a book than out there schmoozing strangers who would otherwise bore you; wouldn't time pass more quickly on your couch? At least you're less likely to spend money when you're at home.

Still, despite your preferences, you find yourself out there. But this networking thing's not working for you. Let's look at some possible reasons why and what to do about it.

1. Attending industry and networking events ranks right up there with a visit to the dentist.
Are you more than a little tired of seeing the same familiar faces month in and month out? You feel networking events are a great opportunity to meet people who don't have jobs. But they're terrible for meeting people with jobs. (If you were happily employed, would you hang out with this crowd?)

Your fix: Connections and courage. Make connections beyond these networking-only events. Have the courage to ask for introductions to leaders and experts in your field, to your counterparts in other companies (even your former competitors). Go to conferences and receptions. Go to every event you're invited to. Volunteer to serve on committees.

2. Your calls to friends always end up in voice mail.
You might have burned out your relationships by being so focused on your frustrations in finding a job. Think about your recent conversations. Are you just hearing the sound of your own voice in your memory's ear? Can you even name your best friend's kids anymore?

Your fix: Mind your manners. It's natural to use your friends and industry colleagues as a safe place to vent. But if you just use them as immediate connections to your next job opportunity, you're going to burn out these relationships quickly. Definitely let them know that you're looking for work -- there's no shame there at all. Ask them for introductions to people they might know who would be able to move your search forward (a co-worker, for example, might know someone who knows someone). Don't put them on the spot of always having to say no when you ask them, "Do you know of any jobs out there?" Remember one of the key principles in networking is to give something first. Find a way to give something of value to that person whose assistance you are seeking.

Word to wise: When you are introduced to people, remember to thank your friends (thank all of your networking partners, for that matter) with e-mail updates, even formal, handwritten notes from time to time. Everyone likes to see their friends make progress out of a life crisis, and everyone likes to feel appreciated for the part they played in your journey to better times.

3. You just can't seem to squeeze in the time necessary for networking.
You may be tempted to focus your time on activities you feel will bring a more certain conclusion and that will give you the satisfaction of feeling immediate progress. Yes, you deserve those gratifications of jobs well done -- or, well, at least done. Yet somehow, you just never get around to making those phone calls.

Your fix: Commitment. For starters, commit yourself to a goal. Begin with five phone calls a day. Make it easy on yourself: If you need to, have scripts ready to work off of, so you don't have to start cold with each phone call. Be comfortable (in your desk chair, not your couch). Commit yourself to filling your "funnel" of contacts and leads, just like salespeople do. With every "no" you hear, you still have plenty more phone calls to make and conversations to follow up on ... and no single rejection is ever the end of the world.

4. You're doing everything right and your networking still isn't working.
How do you know it's not working? OK, so the obvious is indisputable: You still don't have a job. But with enthusiastic networking filled with a variety of contacts and introductions, you've set events in motion that you might not even be aware of: People may be talking about you and brainstorming with each other about whom else to introduce you to; someone might be checking with HR right this very minute to see how a position can be created for you.

Your fix: Patience. These things take time. Yes, the mortgage is due. But your alternative, which is to not network at all, will get you nowhere. Keep up your commitment. Keep growing your connections. Remember to be courteous to your friends and expanding your networks.

And the right job will come.

Identifying Resume Fraud

Resume fraud, or an applicant replacing factual information with “a little white lie” is not new problem. Although the economic downturn may have increased applicant desperation and fabrication, this problem has been around for years and occurs at all levels.

You may recall the well-publicized resume fraud case in 2001 of newly hired Notre Dame Football Coach George O’Leary. O’Leary lost his job within days when it was revealed that his resume contained serious inaccuracies, including claims of a Master’s Degree from what turned out to be a non-existent institution. In the late 1980’s, the Port Authority of New York took out want ads soliciting resumes from electricians with experience using Sontag Conductors. Nearly a third of the respondents said they had experience with Sontag’s. The problem: There is no such thing.

Executive and managerial resumes face tighter scrutiny today than ever, but regardless, some applicants will always feel the need to embellish credentials and accomplishments.

Here are some of the more common deceitful tactics:

1. Fudging Employment Dates
This is the most common practice and is usually done to cover gaps in employment. Be sure to verify dates when confirming employment and make sure application dates match those listed on the resume.

2. Fabricating Past Accomplishments
It is sometimes difficult to confirm inflated claims of achievement. However, ask for specific examples of how these achievements where attained and if the numbers don’t add up, probe further. Speak to references and former managers and try to verify all possible information.

3. Exaggerated Degrees and Education
There are many high-profile examples besides Coach O’Leary which have made the news over the past several years. Be sure to verify the educational institution existence and accreditation online and over the phone when checking an applicant’s claim.

Other areas to pay close attention to:
*Omitting past employers from resumes
*Falsifying the reasons for leaving a previous job
*The Inflation of job titles and responsibilities

Fortunately, there are many different ways to detect and prevent resume fraud, but all require an investment of various resources. Recruiters, HR professionals and hiring authorities are generally less concerned with punishment than with preventing these dishonest individuals from joining their organization. Of course, employees can expect to be terminated when the fraudulent activity come to light. A few states do have criminal codes on the books to punish the abusers which utilize false resume information, but most states do not.

I hope this information will help you when reviewing candidates.

Thanks,
David Lammert