Let's electrify recruiting

At a conference recently, while quietly schmoozing the room (I’m an introvert by nature), it confirmed for me that the traditional recruiting process is a truly artificial way to get to know people. The way I meet a new person is to have a little something in common to generate an interesting two minute conversation. We break apart, speak to others, and maybe come back and continue the conversation with many smiles, nods, and handling of tea cups bridging the space in between. It's a dance to slowly build trust - moving from stranger to friend through unfolding stages of self-disclosure. 

It should come as no surprise that personal networking is considered the most successful way to land a job. So how can we mimic real life in the recruiting process? And please don’t say “job fair.” If you are not convinced you should shake things up, let's set up the argument. I would like you to become aware of systemic bias that may be hiding in your recruiting processes, limiting your company's ability to build competitive advantage. 

Company side

·    We know that qualified candidates are not being interviewed, thanks to ubiquitous automation - you don't know who you are missing. (Lengthy personal aside: I was electronically turned down for a knowledge manager position without so much as an email inquiry despite 17 years of living and breathing KM at the poster child company for KM.)

• Cultural fit is impossible to assess on paper.
• Some companies are not very experienced at the recruiting process and may not be describing the job accurately, nor understanding the skills and behaviours needed to succeed. Have you evaluated your top performers and captured their success factors?
• Does an external recruiter really know your company's culture? The ones I’ve talked to barely understand the job, let alone the company.
• You need to diversify your team. You have to get past the "looks like me" bias. Homogeneity prevents successful innovation. Since you aren’t sure from where the new talent might hail, let's invest in serendipity and cast a wider net.
• People are your IP, your future, the reason the company exists. That's why they call it human capital – attracting new talent has to be a priority to get right.

Candidate side

• The candidate wants to know that you are the best employer - you have to sell your culture, service/product, future career growth. The best candidates won't work for just anyone.
• Different personalities perform better or worse under intense interviewing. How can we help everyone shine?
• Resumes come in all shapes and sizes - some candidates sell themselves well, others not so much. Have we proven that the paper persona directly correlates with success on the job? Lots of people don’t even write their own resumes anyway.
• People seeking new challenges do not want another job where they've been there, done that. Yet, companies look for a track record of having done the exact same job with the same titles. Yaaawn. Do you want a bored employee who will leave for something better?

All these points above are about being aware of systemic bias that may be hiding in your recruiting processes, limiting your company's ability to build competitive advantage. 

Let's throw a recruiting party

I would like to propose a different approach to recruiting next time you are in urgent need of new blood to grow the company.

My friend is a VP for an awesome international marketing consulting company, but can’t get more than 10 people to respond to her job postings. She needs to hire to stay on top of the growing Toronto office, but since the company is new to Canada, people have never heard of the company, don’t know it’s growing, nor that it has a kickass fun culture.  She needs a new approach to recruiting - the traditional methods are not working.

I know you realize you can't carry on short-staffed, but you dread the time it’s going to take to find and integrate new people. You are risking your long-term growth outlook if you don’t get more hands on deck. Overloading existing staff will lead to disengagement, burnout, and departures of top talent. If yours is a fun and daring company, why don't you throw a recruiting party? I have thought through the process to help get you started. I'm sure once I have you thinking about these steps, you will be able to customize my suggestions easily. 

Strategize and prepare

• Advertise the party internally and assemble a small team - 2 to 4 people - to strategize on the party arrangements.
• Be clear that this is not a job fair. It's a party. So get everyone energized.
• Interview your top performers to develop a solid candidate and job profile for writing the ad. 
• Place a job posting in as many places you can afford to or think of (yes, I know, that sentence ended with a preposition). 
• Take all the resumes and review every one in original physical or electronic form, remove only the most egregiously unqualified people. Or maybe don't - keep everyone - they applied for some reason, you just don't know it yet.
• Arrange the date and time that fits with your culture. If everyone rolls in at 10 am, then don't try an 8 am meet and greet. If traffic is brutal before 10 am, schedule it closer to lunch.
• Engage your current employees in the hiring party, they have a vested interest in hiring competent and amiable co-workers.
• Your existing team will be the party ambassadors, so have it in the office - no more than 2 hours needed. 

Invite candidates

• Write a great party invitation that reflects your culture - be sure to explain this concept clearly in your email. 
• Social media the heck out of it. Build buzz. Build energy. 
• Ask attendees to sum up their personal brand in 3 words and include it their name tags.
• Set a shortish acceptance deadline to ensure you have only candidates who are highly motivated. Have a plan to deal with people who cannot attend.
• Use a survey feedback form to gather registrations and close the form when the deadline arrives. This helps if the volume is high.

Figure out the format

• I know I said it was a party, but in this case, skip the booze. Substitute a pot luck, each dish labeled with fun description of the contributor.
• Make sure you have plenty of chairs to sit and chose a cozy space, not cavernous. Err on the side of too small, not too big. 
• Assign a small cluster of candidates to ambassadors - say 1:3 or 1:5 (accounting for inevitable 10% attrition). Their job is to meet, greet, answer questions, and create a safe, personable environment.
• Use name tags creatively to group people via colour codes or personal statements. MAKE SURE I CAN READ IT AT 20 PACES. (Personal aside: at the network roundtable event, the surname and company were in a 10 point font in light orange on white.)
• Sprinkle in conversation starters everywhere possible - what things can people notice and chatter about BESIDES THE WEATHER? Posters, costumes, roles, brands, keep thinking.
• Have a formal presentation component - I suggest company history, examples of client successes, future growth plans, work highlights from ambassadors holding the position on offer, and a perspective on the culture. 
• Don't forget a Q&A portion.
• Create fun exercises to get the crowd interacting. Number name tags and raffle off your company's product. If ball bearings are not really useful to the average person unless installed, perhaps a gift certificate, event tickets, tech widget, or book. 
• Wind up the party explaining the next steps for followup and deeper interviews.

Follow up with interested candidates

• Debrief quickly after the party with your ambassadors - who would they like to see again? Pull out the resumes and schedule the interviews. 
• Include the ambassador in the interviews to increase comfort levels. I love 2 on 1 interviews - it takes the pressure off and feels more like a conversation rather than an inquisition.
• Schedule a full day to interview as many people as possible and debrief as a team to see who should continue on to final round interviews.
• Don't forget to email everyone who applied or attended to let them know when the position is filled. 
• Followup with a candidate satisfaction survey to learn how you can make your next party event better.

I hope you find this idea electrifying. Imagine the buzz you will begin to create. Make sure you chronicle it on your company's blog. 

Rock star employees

I aspire to being an amazing employee. Let's face it, we all think we are outstanding in some fashion, but do we really understand concretely the characteristics of an amazing employee from our employer's perspective? I'm going to say that we know some, but not all, of the ingredients needed to surprise and delight our employers.

10 Things Really Amazing Employees Do by Kevin Daum published in Inc. outlines traits that should be recognized and rewarded. It's a perfect employee handbook both from the employee's and manager's point of view. Please do read this original article. I have taken great liberty in my interpretation - it's such an excellent thought-starter.

1. Understands the business - It took me a long time to figure out what a McKinsey consultant was working to achieve for a client and how they did it. But once I understood their pressures, skill set, process and approach, I was better able to fit my services to their needs. I encountered many people in the company whose work was so isolated, they had no idea what the conference invoice was achieving or how their work fit into the master plan. The McKinsey IT helpdesk is probably the best example who to train a group of non-consultants to operate at their level, problem solve with them, and really get into the shoes of their customers. Kudos to Adrian, Bob, Sandra, and Michele.

2. Ambassador and steward - There have been a number of examples of increased employee engagement when employees are shareholders - the company IS their own and they are in charge of its future. When this kind of incentive is not available to all organizations, it comes down to an employee's integrity and strong values to act as a responsible steward of the company's resources. I remember a consultant from South America, unfamiliar with the Canadian winters, charged her purchase of new snow boots back to the client as a business expense. I sure hope that one was disallowed.

3. Generates growth opportunities - Drawing on a strong understanding of the business (point #1), a great employee on the front line is in a tremendous position to make improvements and observe the client in a special way. I remember the CEO of Philips encouraging us to call out the issues that may not be in the scope of the project, but are of importance - put everything on the table. Fresh eyes to a situation can be unbelievably valuable.

4. Solves problems proactively - Some people seem to thrive on complaining about problems. I have met so many people who will spend hours regaling problems and solutions (oddly enough), because they are in the position of point #3. In the words of Dr. Phil, "How's that working for you?" I like a good problem and have generated a ton of interesting projects for myself and my career has been rich and rewarding as a result. The complainers have not been so lucky.

5. Tell the truth - At McKinsey, we were governed by a strong set of values and we reviewed them annually on Values Day. My favourite value is "the obligation to dissent." It was the way we ensured that the people with ideas gleaned in #3 and #4 could be assured of an open-minded reception, even if they were very junior. An important point about uncomfortable truths is that we learn from failure just as much as we learn from success. Fear of failure results in a stagnant environment where innovation is considered too risky. No decision IS a decision.

6. Deliver high quality consistently - Naturally, rock star employees are noted for their high quality contributions - this is probably the clearest characteristic and easiest to understand. Not every employee will know where the bar is set for quality. I have found many great managers spend time talking about what they need and less time about how to do it - helping to iterate toward the end result. Top quality work is a team process - everyone contributes and makes the efforts of others better. No man is an island. Thanks Charles.

7. Mentor and bring others along with their success - Spread the wealth, the knowledge, and the secret sauce. Have you ever met someone who was clearly out for themselves at the expense of others? Fortunately, I usually had the opposite experience - see my previous musings on trust in the workplace.

8. Learn and adapt - Ah, was there ever a day at McKinsey when I was not pushed to bend my poor little brain around something I had never heard of before? Yes, there were a few rare quiet days, but most were action packed and challenging. My static colleagues were just that, caught in a rut wondering why opportunities didn't come their way. I characterized my time with McK as "the university of McKinsey." I steeped myself in new knowledge with every team I served. It was so much fun.

9. Strong EQ - Having that emotional quotient to understand how the actions of one influence the attitudes of others is a critical element of success. The best leaders I worked with all had it. This is the one I watch most closely, trying to pick up all the cues, just like an episode of "Lie to Me" which was unjustly cancelled. One senior manager I know is in a complete panic under deadlines and you know what that does to everyone else - yes, they are freaked out too, and not happy about it. I like to calm people down by being calm. When they articulate worst case ("what if they had an accident"), I counter with  another view of the situation ("it's probably just a subway delay"). It seems trite, but the person just wants to voice their worries. I try to radiate calm, even if I get that sinking feeling when the computer STOPS WORKING!

10. Make their bosses look great - This is my favourite characteristic and left for last. We work as a team to move forward the goals of the organization. I completely recognize that what a leader brings to the table and what I do is different. My job is to make your job easier. I am not like some folks who grouse about their managers wondering what they do all day - they just don't understand how the manager's job is not to be a souped-up (yes, I checked this idiomatic spelling) version of the employee. It is intangible and metaphorically similar to pushing a big broom.

A collection of amazing employees makes an organization successful. Employees are the backbone of any service to any client or customer. Can you imagine a company with no employees? Nonsensical. Yet, do we always remember what human capital really means? Sometimes, it might be overlooked in the crush of activities.

Is it a success or a failure - half empty or half full

Recently, I had the opportunity to learn about a role that required picking up a software rollout from the implementation team. It was characterized to me as a failure because many steps were missed and it had not achieved 100% adoption. So I was reflecting on how to approach this project to move it forward to the next level. But a little background first.

At McKinsey, we were in a constant state of change – new leaders, new mandates, new clients, new priorities – everyone worked on making change happen in some capacity. My work in knowledge management was all about developing new approaches to serving clients and then influencing how 7,000 consultants do business. I developed a very strong understanding of my audience, their needs, their communication styles, and how new approaches would make them smarter and more efficient. I built new knowledge delivery applications and analytical approaches directly in response to problems that needed to be solved. I'm the implementer - a critical team member who makes things happen when others could not. My secret is to build collaborative relationships to accomplish my goals. Changing and improving is all in a day's work and a bit taken for granted.

Now, the project in question had achieved a 25% adoption rate in a 8 month timeframe. This translated into nearly 2,000 people actively using the system after limited communication rollout consisting of 3 emails and a webinar - yet, my discussion partner considered it a failure!  Gosh, the darned thing practically sold itself!

In light of reaching this number of people, I recommended that they rebrand the soft launch as a pilot and put a positive spin on the high adoption level. They could then, develop success stories and include some analysis of the ROI to help build enthusiasm when communicating the value proposition to the next wave of users.

At McKinsey, we have had great success when cells volunteer to join a schedule of implementation waves - they chose the timing that works for them. This allowed the small implementation team to work at a sustainable level and time to integrate learnings from past waves so that they could improve the process each time they began working with a new group. This method engages new users, helps them gain a sense of control and ownership, reduces resistance, and increases the chances of success.

Below is an excerpt from a McKinsey Quarterly article outlining the importance of engaging the frontline and the value of focusing on the aspects that go well, rather than what does not. 

By looking at the approaches used by companies that executives describe as most successful in transforming themselves, we found evidence suggesting the importance of engaging employees collaboratively throughout the company and throughout the transformation journey. Another major theme was the importance of building capabilities - particularly leadership capabilities - to maintain long-term organizational health. In addition, a focus on strengths and achievements, not just problems, throughout the entire transformation process is strongly tied to success. Strong leadership and maintaining energy for change among employees are two principles of success that reinforce each other when executed well. For example, when leaders ensure that frontline staff members feel a sense of ownership, the results show a 70 percent success rate for transformations. When frontline employees take the initiative to drive change, transformations have a 71 percent success rate. When both principles are used, the success rate rises to 79 percent. 

Early participants would then become change evangelists to help drive higher adoption levels to future waves. In 18-24 months, I would consider a spectacular success if it achieved the following:

• 90% adoption by happy users
• Quantifiable cost savings and ROI
• Clear understanding of what is preventing the stragglers from converting 
• Change team actively working to satisfy the remaining identified needs

Of course, that’s not the end - there are many sub-phases and steps to get ready for the next push, all of which are tumbling around in my head right now. I can only scratch the surface of ideas I have for rolling out a large-scale change project.  I've been attending some Prosci change management seminars recently and realize that this only scratches the surface of a strong structured change management project plan.

These types of projects are so much fun - they have so many moving parts - never a dull moment.