Happy Boxing Day!

Only one week left until one of the largest hiring seasons of the year. The New Year brings with it a furious flocking to the job boards, as recent fall grads and those with a resolution for a better job clamor to find their perfect career.

Is your company employment page ready?

Here is a checklist to help put your best foot forward:

1. Have an apply here button, with the landing form tied to Google Analytics. So many pages I visit do not even have a clear way for someone to actually apply. Many job hunters will go straight to the employment page of the company they like, meaning you can have first opportunity with these applicants before they even hit a job board.
2. Embed a video with a message from a member of executive management, and a tenured employee. Video is shown to get over 100 times more engagement than text in social media and the same holds true on your webpage. Speak to visitors about how successful your company is going to be in the near to long future and let your employee express how they fit into the daily plan.
3. List all the positions you have within your company, not just what you are hiring for now. Some of the site visitors will be more long term prospects for hire, and great hiring companies build pipelines for positions. Don't have talented people look elsewhere because they do not think you want to know about them.
4. Offer an ability to connect via LinkedIn. Have the link available to follow your company, and connect to the department head they will be applying to. Get your managers socially involved, let applicants know they are sending their resume to a human being that cares about them as individuals.

Put these four easy enhancements to your page in place now, and you will be in prime position to capture the most talent from your employment page.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner 

Fresh back from Florida watching our son graduate from college, and he is already on the job hunt. The thought of having to move back in with his parents in Nothingtodoville Upstate New York, might be motivating him slightly. I wanted to share some insights from his progress so far that can help some of my employer and applicant readers.

Be positive, but only cash the checks you have.

During our son's time at school he has accumulated a circle of connections in the business community, many alumni of his college. Each time he speaks to one, they have a sure-fire contact that will definitely want to hire him. Our son is smart, talented, and hard working, a catch for any employer. That being said, he is in a large city and there is a line of people with degrees, contacts, and work ethic. It is easy to count one of these referrals to a company like a guarantee, it is important to view it as only an opportunity for you to earn a position.

The vision of the future is as important as the job promised today.

While we were visiting, our son gave us the complete run down on his potential job opportunities. He is very detail oriented so we had the chance to get as much information as we could handle. This included the possible promotions, estimated time to move up the ladder, the income that comes with the higher level positions, and what he of course could spend the money on. Employers, the applicants reviewing your employment opportunities are not only considering the job you offer them now, but also what your company can do for them in the short and long term future. As part of your job marketing it is key to have information about about what an advanced career in your company looks like. Maybe a quote or two from some employees that have moved up the chain. You are selling the applicants that consider you a future, as well as a present.

Jumping through hoops is a circus trick, not an appropriate interview tactic.

One of the positions our son is applying for has been slow affair. He has a referral to the company, sent in an application, emails, and calls. Now that he is graduated there is a great urgency to start a career, and this seems a perfect fit. So why isn't the interview process moving forward? Our son got an answer from one of his other contacts. It seems this company uses a war of attrition to whittle down their applicant pool. They draw out the process and communicate just enough to keep the applicant involved, but force them to keep jumping through hoops. The company is trying to use this tactic to ensure they are getting to the person that wants to work for them the most.

There two giant flaws with this method for screening applicants. First, an unemployed applicant does not have the option of turning down opportunities to hold out for the position at your company. Second, using the able to hold out for this job longest theory only assures you the most motivated to accept your position, not the best able to perform the job. Most motivated can be attributed to a number of reasons such as; having a character flaw that has kept them from earning other positions once interviewed, being unmotivated enough to go through the work of interviewing at multiple companies and simply having the financial means to wait out your process, romanticizing your company to a point where they have an unrealistic view of the opportunity, and finally the one you are probably hoping for which is your job is their dream job.

As an applicant I would be very leery of a company that goes beyond doing their due diligence to completely know you, and simply moves into seeing how difficult they can make the process. It shows a lack of caring for applicants as individuals outside of their hiring process.

Hopefully there is a nugget or two here for you.

Have a prosperous day :-)

Interviewing for a job is one of the more nerve wracking experiences in life.  The entire balance of the meeting is out of place from any other interaction we have with other people in our lives.  

The closest I can think of is a visit to a new doctor.  You are typically made to sit in a waiting room and feel like you are being watched while you sit there.  Forced to fill out byzantine forms, with information that is unnecessary to write out.  Brought into a nondescript room and questioned, and then told we will be called with the results.  I do not blame job seekers for disliking the interview process one bit.

Just like during a doctor's visit the intimidating process makes us forget that this is a give and take relationship.  It is not meant to be one-sided, and we need to assert ourselves enough to ask the questions we have.  How many times have you left a doctor's office wishing you had other answers?  You get home and your friends and family are grilling you, did you ask this, did you find out that?

The awkwardness of the visit take us out of our comfort zone and the back and forth dynamic that is supposed to be there gets lost.  We just start answering questions, and waiting for the person in charge to direct the conversation.  Just like you have the right to ask questions of your doctor, you need to center yourself and remember that the job interview is as much your opportunity to learn about the business as it is a chance for the company to evaluate you.

The key to this is the same in an interview as it is at the doctor, bring written questions with you.  Research and prepare prior to walking in to interview.  Go on social media, review sites, the company site; 89% of HR managers are reviewing information from social media about applicants why aren't applicants doing the same for the business?  We get so focused on preparing to answer questions, we forget to be ready to ask our own.

It may not feel like it, but this really can and should be a give and take relationship in the hiring process.  Both an applicant and a business should be speaking to multiple possibilities and finding the best fit.  Don't get lost in the process and let the interviewer be the only one actually investigating and considering their options.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner

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Happy Hannukah everyone, well tomorrow night anyway. Did that hurt anyone? I also intend to wish people a Merry Christmas as we get closer too. I am Jewish, but I also have half of my family and many coworkers that are Christian.

Getting to December means awkward consideration of who we can wish a Merry, Happy, etc. Is it almost comical watching a manager, that is confident in every other area of their lives, all of the sudden get tongue tied when it comes to wishing the people around them peace and happiness. Why?

Fairness in Human Resources is about valuing employees, and their right to work in an environment that accepts them. You can express your joy at Christmas, or Hannukah, etc. Just don't restrict others from sharing their joy either. Put the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree on your desk and enjoy it, but don't get offended when there is a Menorah in the window too.

Instead of obsessing over how to wish a coworker happiness, just express it in the way that is most genuine. If that is Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays, it is okay. If anyone wants practice, I am Jewish and would love to get a bunch of Merry Christmas wishes in my inbox, willing to smile at Happy Holidays too.

Gregory Gershman - Managing Partner

Most of us at some point consider selling something. That first part-time job in retail to get the employee discounts, door to door during college (Cutco anyone?), and finally whenever we are tossed out into the employment pond and need something (hello auto, insurance, and real estate industry). For me it was all three, and I am still selling myself today.

Why does going into sales have such a stigma? If you are scanning through job ads, are you skipping over the selling opportunities? Waiting to exhaust applying to every office, government, and manufacturing job, and then sending out applications to some sales job ad while you wait for your dream opportunity?

Depending on how you can answer this next question you should either skip "trying" sales, or put it to the top of your list and forget any other career.

Are you a commodity or a human?

I know the knee-jerk answer by everyone is to say they are a human, who wants to think of themselves as a commodity? The honest answer is that many job seekers intend to be a commodity. A commodity is an interchangeable product or service and its value is usually set based on supply and demand. This is most commonly used to describe things bought and sold in quantity that do not have individualistic merit.

How does this relate to people scanning job boards and thinking, "I might just have to try sales"? Many people that are dipping their toe into sales have the thought that if they simply follow the process manual that the company is going to sell things and they will get paid. Circuit City tried this, hire the least expensive help, give them red shirts and a manual, and the public will just buy our stuff. It was one of the most epic fails in modern sales history, Circuit City went from the leader in electronics sales to out of business in under three years. They hired commodities.

I thought this way when I first started in sales. My manager tells me to walk and talk this way, all I need to do is follow the direction and it will all work out. I was almost fired in my first 90 days selling. I was confused and depressed, I am saying what they want me to say, following the steps I was told to take, why isn't this working? As a last ditch effort I accidentally became a human.

What I am calling being a human is deciding to simply interact with people as your natural instincts dictate, to be an individual. Within the borders of professionally presenting your product, show compassion, understanding, and yes even love for the people you are lucky enough to get to meet on a daily basis.

I saw a great example of this only yesterday in Starbucks (stereotypical sales, I am a coffee addict). In Starbucks the salespeople are called Barristas, and they have a pretty well formatted process. Most days I walk into the shop and can fairly predict just about every interaction in the store, it is simple people walk in wanting coffee, Barrista asks them to buy more expensive coffee and pastry. Today was slightly different, in front of me an older woman was walking into the shop and next to her an employee was emptying the trash. She stopped, turned to the woman, and told her she looked fantastic and asked where she had bought the dress she was wearing. Not in a I get paid to say nice things way, but in a true human to human contact. She then walked the woman to the counter and helped her decide what to order, like they were best friends picking out some new and exciting thing to try together. This salesperson is not a commodity!

If you have the self-esteem to be a true person to people you have never met, to let them see the caring side of you even though you might be rejected, you are a human and should run to the nearest sales opportunity. The world needs you!

Greg Gershman - Managing Partner @RecruitmentHQ

If you need help deciding if sales is right for you, or advice on hiring your next forever employee inbox me. Have a prosperous day :-

I posted a question on an automotive forum two days ago, asking what are some of the most motivational pay-plans around the country for sales staff.  It has gotten five pages worth of comments, and it all seems to boil down to one question/problem; how do the traditional commission industries attract the new generation of college graduates and young professionals?

There are three driving psychological factors that need to be met to usher in the next generation of sales professionals:

• Risk Aversion
• Culture
• Inclusion in a group movement

My Grandmother was always chastising me about any waste, even went so far as to give me a what-for over a large package of chocolate chip cookies I had bought our son while visiting her.  I can still hear her barking, "he is never going to finish those, and you are not throwing them out".  Anyone in my age group, I am 43, has an older relative that acts as the financial conscience.  We all know where that comes from, The Great Depression.  My Grandmother's generation was stamped with the psychological damage from this financial collapse decades later.

The Gen-Yer's, have now lived through the second largest financial decline in our nation's history, and it is completely shaping their view on financial risk.  When I began as a commission salesperson there was never any thought in my head of the potential problems that could arise from working in a commission only industry.  It seemed that while I was young, and short on large financial commitments, it was the perfect time to take a job that had a high ceiling even if there was this chance of not earning a living.  This is not how today's graduates are viewing the world.  They have seen the product of the 80's and 90's willingness to step into risk, and it was the Crash of 2008.

This doesn't mean industries like the automotive industry can't be viable options for a career.  We just need to cater to this insecurity.  Here is a small example of being creative to help talented newcomers consider the sales floor.  I suggested a college loan repayment program for new hires with an associates or above.  Have a predetermined maximum amount per month, and duration limit and use this as an incentive to get the brightest minds to choose your business.

Culture is word that everyone keeps throwing around, in regard to businesses that are the most desirable to work for, but there is very little talk about what that means.  One of the key elements of this culture we are all seeking is brand identity.  More specifically how one is viewed based on their association to a business or product.  It shapes who applies to our business.

There has been a sharp change how products and stores are presenting themselves.  When I grew up we had Crazy Eddie screaming about Christmas in July sales.  He would jump around, yell like a maniac, and be INSANE!! (reference to how he described his sales, for those that never saw it)  What have been the biggest sale announcements today?   Steve Jobs standing on a stage alone in a black mock turtle neck, while a small crowd quietly waits to applaud.  This is what this generation has associated with the most successful companies.

Loud, crazy advertisements aren't working any longer to drive in sales, and they are counter-intuitive to the brand image that this next generation of employees wants to associate themselves with.  It is time to make our employees the face of our company, they are the greatest advertisement for the sales floor and possible incoming employees.  Seemed to work out well for Apple.

Inclusion in a group movement is an underrated, but extremely important part of what attracts employees.  A recent example is the Tea Party Movement and the Walk on Wall Street.  Having the ability to claim ownership of an ideal, and feeling empowered to have an effect are key motivational elements.

This doesn't mean you need to align your business with a political cause (as a matter of fact it is probably suicide), but you need to let applicants know how you impact the community and their potential role in that.  When hiring for my company, much of our communication with applicants was about having the ability to help connect the millions of unemployed in this country with opportunities that could help them feed their families.  We are a recruitment company that specializes in using personal phone interviews instead of electronic screening to help employers and applicants.  Our employees are passionate about the idea that every applicant gets a real personal interview that applies, because they understand how awful it is to send out a hundred resumes and never talk to a person.  This is a cause they can get behind, and puts our business a cut above the rest competing for young talent.

I hope this gives some of my colleagues around the country a little insight into speaking to the next generation.  We would love some other thoughts and examples from businesses around the country.

Please feel free to comment, love or hate, or inbox me with a question for your business.  Have a prosperous day :-)

Gregory Gershman, Managing Partner, Recruitment HQ 

Ever wish your employees cared the way you do about your dealership?  They had the willingness to work to master their craft; ambition to stay those few extra minutes to get the job done; have enough pride in the business to become evangelists in the community?

Quarterly business meetings are the pathway to having the staff engaged in a way you never have.  By sharing leadership level information you give your employees the ability to buy in to the course of your dealership.

Here is a small example: 

A service manager calls all his technicians together and lets them know he has to take away their day off next week because we have another one of “those mailers”.  Staff grumbles, gets blue flu, and performs poorly.  Even worse they have to go home and explain to their spouse how any plans they had next week are cancelled because the store did another one of “those mailers”.

Another dealership is having the same mail sale and makes it part of their quarterly meeting.  Well in advance they proudly let the entire dealership know they going to spend thousands of dollars to motivate clients in the week of -------, because they care about the technicians having work and being able to feed their families.  Technicians plan accordingly for the time, and get their family on board, explaining how this is going to add a boost to their paycheck. 

Which of these mail sale events is going to be the most successful?  A little bit of engagement and communication goes a long way to getting motivated employees.

Quarterly meetings can be as short as 45 minutes, and only need to involve your department.  They should cover; how the dealership is going to help generate traffic; topics that made an impact on the business from the daily 20 minute meetings;  team members that either made significant improvement or achieved a level of excellence; the employees role in and the state of the overall mission statement for the business.

Now relate your willingness to financially invest in advertising to the hard work the staff has put in to perfecting the “Reservation” and “Active Delivery”, as an example,  have resulted in higher hours per repair order.

In the meeting reference the times over the quarter that these two topics were worked on in the Daily 20 Minute Meetings, and the people that are superstars in this process. 

As a reward the dealership is going to invest in an advertising campaign to increase foot traffic, since we are so confident you can make full use of our investment.  We forecast that this will increase sales by 10% and give everyone a large financial opportunity!

Daily 20 minute meeting is the way we tie together the Mission Statement, Core Values, and Job Responsibilities to make them part of our daily lives.  Meetings show our commitment to our employees success on a daily basis and build retention.

Sometimes it can feel like our day is so overstuffed that carving out even an additional 20 minutes is a near impossibility.  Here is why it is a must! 

What happens to a car that hasn’t been maintained?  Catastrophic breakdown.  Your staff is just like servicing a car regularly; daily doses of encouragement and improvement remove the risk of poor performance or even worse termination of employment.

Communication isn’t just for when an employee mishandles something.  Having a consistent vehicle for communication ensures continuity through the staff, and stops large declining trends from taking root in the dealership.

There are four areas to cover in the 20 Minute Meeting; Mission, Score Board, Recognition, and Skill Sharpening.  By touching on each category every day employees are kept on task.

Every meeting should be guided by your corporate mission statement that we spoke about earlier.  In the example it is, “How we provide the Concierge Experience at our dealership”.   So all the remaining portions of the meeting relate to this mission.

Next is a short score board; staff many times are so engaged in the daily grind that they lose track of the measuring sticks for your business.  In this meeting we have Financial Performance, Customer Satisfaction Indicators, & Performance Challenges. 

One of the factors that drive employee negativity is the feeling that management only finds the things that aren’t done correctly.  Daily recognition lets employees know you are watching for the things that go right too like, Service Awards, Anniversaries, Personal Milestones, Accomplishments, or Things Done Right. 

Skill Sharpening is one of the trickiest points to tackle, but will, if done well, have the highest return on time.  The key is to empower and engage your staff.  Guide the topic, but allow your employees to present the problem and deputize the best of your staff to offer solutions.  Employees take the word of a top of the board teammate as gospel.  Let the weakest staff member role play with the best of the best.

Elect a time keeper, and empower them to stop the meeting on time.  Keeping the interaction short and not making it about you ensures employees leave the meeting with the most information to have the highest impact on your business.

Here is the daily hiring and getting hired tip:

Employers how would you like big SEO on Google search for your job ads, and to have your employment ads completely stand out above every other posting?

Start adding video to your employment ads.  A short minute and a half take on why your store is the best, and the merits of the opportunity.  Even better have an employee say why they love working there.  Video is a game changer.

If anyone needs help getting it done with the best keywords, inbox us.

In the last post I spoke about Mission Statements.  The next step in communicating the vision for your store are Core Values and Job Responsibilities.

Core Values are a set of basic principles that guide all the actions from the top down. These can be things like Honesty, Efficiency, Trust, etc.. The best method for putting these together is to have a few brain storm sessions to get a large list and then let executive leadership narrow them down. The reason for having multiple meetings to to get as expansive a listing as possible. If you put everyone together in one meeting once the session gets a direction, it is rare that new ideas are brought forward.

Once you have a list of the priciples, take the responsibilities for each position you have in the store and see how they fit into the core values.  These values are meant to frame how we follow through on each of our responsibilities.  Below are some examples.

Here are a few examples of some key tasks that belong in the professional service writer job responsibility guidelines and how they relate to core values.

Core Value – Efficiency – Giving fellow employees and clients the fastest and easiest method to interact with our dealership; creating a workflow that saves time and money.

Task – Reservations – By using a reservation process, clients will arrive at our dealership at a specific time with complete information on concerns and desired services.  This will enable the dealership to better schedule work including; having parts availability on the initial trip, faster service time since we can plan to have a technician available when the car arrives, and a higher likelihood of fixed right the first time by getting solid information upfront.

Core Value – Transparency – Management and staff will give all the complete information to the clients and fellow employees, allowing for higher customer satisfaction and better decision management.

Task – Active Delivery – Every client will receive an accurate and thorough summary of the diagnosis, accounting of the services performed, and a review of the pricing.  This step ensures client satisfaction with the method, outcome, and charges of any performed.  It also gives the service writer a later review of the repair order to confirm that any and all services were offered.

Core Value – Service – The value of service is the intent with which we interact with clients and one another.  Profit is one of many end results we want within our business such as loyalty, satisfaction, or happiness.  To quote Zig Ziglar, “If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want”. 

Task – Follow-up – After every face to face interaction with our dealership the client will be contacted to ensure satisfaction and perpetuate our relationship.  Timely follow-up demonstrates our willingness to communicate with clients even when it will not directly create a transaction.  All employees will use the three question format according to the Acura design so we will know if the client received the level of service they expect, and can be proactive if the client knows a way for us to be more efficient.

If you are looking to build a list in your store and want a little help, just reach out. Message me here, or find me on your favorite social network.