A 17 year-old I know pretty well thought they might like working at a particular clothing retailer but wasn’t going to quit the current part-time job before checking it out by working both jobs for a little while. The manager of the store at the local mall asked her to complete the paper application and return it the next day because she had an opening and was very interested in hiring someone who had already held a part time job for more than a year. She also said she could arrange an interview right away rather than waiting on the process with an online application. The application was completed and returned the next day, delivered directly to the above mentioned manager.

You guessed it – two plus weeks have passed and no contact from the manager. Now for the candidate experience – the 17 year-old young lady says “I’m not sure I’d even want to interview now because I wouldn’t want to work for such a disorganized manager.”

I commented in an earlier post that candidates need to relax because “some things rightfully take time and organizations have a process for evaluating talent.” I still believe that, but if you drop the ball on simple communication during the hiring process you can expect talented candidates to lose interest in the specific opportunity and maybe more broadly lose interest in your organization.

Really, don’t do it – don’t hire friends! At least don’t hire them because they are your friends.

I know – they really are a great person, they have a strong work ethic, communicate well, get along with seemingly everyone. Shouldn’t they have the skills as well as the attributes you defined as being necessary for success in the role. You took the time to define the role, right? Don’t give in and skip this step. Grandmother Dierker used to say (I hated it when she said this) “if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over!”

Twice in the past 30 days I’ve heard “You’re right, I need someone who is actually capable of doing this job. How do I fire someone who a) attends my church or b) has a child on my child’s team?” Sorry, no easy answer – but yes, you have to do it!

Your company of course, but perhaps not in the way you’re thinking. In every discipline our firm serves the proverbial “war for talent” is on. Most organizations will do their homework before beginning the search – 1) prepare the position profile and outline both skills and attributes requirements, and 2) define the parameters of salary and bonus. Armed with this information your talent acquisition partners (internal and external) have developed several excellent candidates for you to consider. Now all that is left is for you to interview and choose, wrong!

In this tight market for talent you need to SELL! Please don’t overthink this. Based on what we hear from candidates about interview experiences just doing the basics will put you ahead of much of the competition.

1) Be on time for the interview. 48% of respondents to a national survey about interviewer behavior said this negatively influenced their impression of the company.
2) Set your smartphone to Do Not Disturb.
3) Have the candidate’s resume’ and interview notes. Here’s an idea – read it in advance, highlight it and be prepared to ask specific and meaningful questions relevant to the opportunity. Appearing unprepared for the interview was cited as a negative influence by 47% of the respondents in the same study about interviewer behavior.
4) Review their LinkedIn profile – yes this has become basic!

The final directive to the assembled pre-teens at the first Monday caddy school was to “keep up!”  What our caddymaster Pat Higgins really meant was “stay ahead!” What golfer who has the privilege of taking a caddy wants to look for his own ball?  When I first started caddying I would lag behind my golfer when I wasn’t entirely sure where the ball had traveled thinking I would be forgiven for being a couple of steps slow but not for failing to follow the flight of the ball.  What I learned was they knew I didn’t see the ball and thought I was a couple of steps slow.  The lesson I learned was to get ahead of the game, be the first to arrive at the most likely landing area and furiously survey the area to increase the likelihood of being the one to discover the right answer.

I didn’t realize I was neglecting this lesson early in my CPA firm career until an audit manager said “make a decision and move on, we didn’t hire you because you know what to do every time, we hired you because we believed you were smart and will make good decisions about what to do!”  I struggle at times to do the work that allows me to keep up – listening to and learning from others (in formal training sessions and informal settings) and making time to read.  At a recent Ohio Society of CPA’s continuing education session the instructor (a former national firm partner) said something I made a point of writing down and capturing in the Evernote app on my phone – “Your only consistent value add is in decision making and that comes from the training and practice that informs your sound analytical thinking combined with your objectivity and judgement.”

“Only three things you need to know to be successful” according to my first boss, “show up, shut up, keep up.” I’m actually not certain if my first caddymaster Pat Higgins said it or if after hearing it during my Evans Scholar days at Miami University I just attributed it to him, but as time went on I learned just how universally true those keys to success were.

A friend shared that he recently had to terminate an employee and it emphasized once again that it all begins with Show Up! A hard to fill position was finally filled with a well qualified professional. During the first two weeks there are some problems with getting to work on time, and not just those nagging few minutes. My friend did the right thing and had a candid discussion about the culture of the organization and how timeliness really matters. Things got a little better for a couple of weeks but as my friend said, “I don’t think he really got it.” Friday morning another late arrival and another meeting where it is made clear that future late arrival could result in termination.

You guessed it – late arrival on Monday. This talented professional is met in the lobby by my friend and the Human Resources Director and thus ends a promising career opportunity. Harsh as it may seem, like my caddymaster said – Show Up, and yes On Time!