Finding Your Next Great Employee
07 Nov 2014 Leave a Comment
in Services, Uncategorized Tags: employees, staff
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” – Doug Conant, CEO of Campbell’s Soup
Great companies need outstanding employees in order to grow. The problem is finding and retaining that caliber employee. Most small businesses don’t fully understand the process of hiring top-notch employees.
“Effective organizational leadership is simple: 1. Have a vision of where you want to get to. 2. Clearly and persuasively communicate that vision to employees. 3. Be consistent in your behaviors as you strive to achieve that vision.” – from A Roadmap for Employee Engagement by Andy Parsley
Many make the mistake of hiring an employee without clearly thinking the process all the way through. They neglect to think about what they actually want from the new hire. Hiring in this way sets the new employee up for failure before they ever walk in for their first day of work. This turns out to be a waste of time and resources for everyone.
To help avoid this, you need to go through the interview process. The first and most critical step is to write an advertisement that attracts great people in the first place — one that encourages the kind of candidates who want to work for your company.
Thinking this through will also make you consider the short-term and long-term responsibilities and tasks required for this position.
The challenge of finding great job candidates starts with the ad itself. Mediocre job ads attract mediocre workers. To improve your placement ad, you should incorporate the following in the description.
- Make your company sound innovative and interesting. This will help attract more dynamic applicants who want to work for a fascinating company.
- Let the applicant know with whom they will most likely be working. Candidates will look forward to learning from someone who is the expert in their field.
- If the location of your company is a plus for applicants, make sure to mention it. The more benefits you can mention in the ad, the more attractive your ad becomes.
- Make sure to mention that the position offers growth for the right candidate. Everyone wants to know that they can grow with the company. This also implies that they will be able to make more money as they grow.
- Include the total compensation and benefits in the offer. Paid holidays, flexible hours, and other perks can be very attractive.
- Mention that the position requires hard work and dedication. This can help filter out the lazy applicants before time is wasted with the interview.
- The ad should stand out from all the others. If you want creative, superstar applicants, the ad should be creative, too.
Finding and retaining top talent is one of the most important tasks for any growing company. A strong recruitment ad is just the start but one that can’t be overlooked. Include these tips in your next ad, and hopefully you will attract the type of superstar employee you desire.
Picking Teams for Sports or Business: The Same Strategies Apply
11 Apr 2014 Leave a Comment
in Marketing TIPS Tags: staff, Start up business
Team Matters.
What made picking those teams so stressful
Children understand that the team you choose matters. The team will decide whether you’ll emerge victorious or go home to dinner with your tail between your legs. Growing up, being picked first was an honor. It meant the other kids respected your abilities. Being picked last was something to be avoided.
Team captains would fight to fill out their teams with people who could successfully fill each position on the court or field. Even a casual game, like a snowball fight, needed players who had certain skills. No captain worth their salt would pick just anyone.
While those picked at the end might rather repress these memories, they do have to admit that the captains tended to know what they were doing. Those of us in business can learn something from them.
Why the team matters
Whatever the sport, the teams would work together to devise some kind of strategy under the leadership of their captain. Yet, no matter how talented that captain was or how genius their game strategies were, they couldn’t win on their own. They still needed the talents and help of everyone else on the team. The same goes for business.
Countless startups get so wrapped into their vision and dreams for the future that they neglect building their own team to help them get there. However, just like a childhood sports team, a business won’t succeed if it relies solely on the grand plans or talents of one person. As important as developing the ideas and plan for the company may be, carefully picking the team to get you there is just as (if not more) important.
Picking your team
Captains of sports teams pick players based on where they can play on the field. They work to get a variety of skills on the team. In baseball, it doesn’t do much good to have a team of hitters if no one can field. Similarly, in business, it’s important to pick members with various talents and strengths to create a complete picture.
Begin by outlining who is needed to help the business grow. Find people who share your vision and can help fill in your own gaps, so you can work on building your company’s future. Different people will bring different ideas to the table, which will challenge you to develop and grow as a team.
Success for startups (and even more established companies) often depends heavily on the types of people the company founders surround themselves with. Fresh people bring fresh ideas, and no person can fill every role.
Rather than trying to be everything for your company, focus instead on building a strong team that can work together to take your company to the top. Just like the kids from childhood sports games understood, strategy and big plans will only get you so far. Sometimes who you pick will make the most difference.
When you’re ready to build your marketing team, we can help you make smart decisions about your strategy and how your team will work to reach your customers.
High Five! Ways to Make Your Work-Life More Enjoyable
24 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Marketing Tags: employees, staff, team work, work environment
Nineteenth-century humorist Josh Billings famously said, “Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he’s made of.” Here are five tips to help you make sure life’s polishing you into a beautiful gem:
Slow down. Yes, we’re all busy, and we all have deadlines we need to meet. But trying to go 100 miles per hour in 20 different directions simultaneously will only get you nowhere that much faster. Take some time each day to step away from the grind, unwind, and slow down. Go for a walk. Spend time by yourself. Buy a coworker lunch or a cup of coffee. Or just relax, recharge, and reconnect with the world around you. You’ll return more focused and better able to handle the day.
Show appreciation. As human beings, we all appreciate feeling, well, appreciated. Make sure you thank those around you for the things they do to help and encourage you. Let your coworkers know how much their time, talents, encouragement, and support mean to you every day.
Offer positive reinforcement. This may sound like showing appreciation, but it’s a little different. With appreciation, you’re thanking someone for something they’ve done for you. With positive reinforcement, there’s no expectation that the other person has done or will do anything for you. You’re showing them encouragement with no strings attached. For example, when you see a coworker making strides in an area of concern or taking on new challenges, give them a pat on the back and hearty congratulations. Similarly, if you see someone struggling, offer support and guidance if you can.
Counter negativity with positive words and praise. Negativity is a highly contagious workplace disease. Don’t let it spread to you. Avoid overly negative office chat. Focus instead on building people up by being a positive voice for and influence on those around you.
Find creative ways to use your strengths. We all have things we need to do at work, and it’s important to accomplish those tasks. But, whenever possible, try to carve out some time to work on projects that showcase your talents and put your strengths to maximum use. If such projects are hard to find, create your own, and present them to your manager or boss. Make sure to include valid reasons you think your projects will benefit the company. If your ideas get shot down, don’t give up. Come up with a better plan, and keep trying. Your initiative, determination, and positive attitude will not go unnoticed.
