Sunday, July 26, 2009

Resume, Resume, Where Fore Art Thou?

Reading resumes is just like working in your garden. There are a lot of weeds, be careful not to step in the fertilizer, and yet...there are beautiful flowers coming up here and there.

You have a hundred resumes. Now what? How do you separate the weeds from the flowers?

What is the purpose of the resume? It should be to whet your appetite to have a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting. It is like reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Too much information will bore you and hide the relevant details. Too little will leaving you wanting. 'Just right' is a one page cover letter, and a one page resume.

Here is what I look for when wanting 'just right'. Remember, you want someone who wants to work for you as a career.

  • The cover letter is specifically addressed to you. If there is no personal greeting, I don't read it and the resume goes to the maybe pile without getting read.

  • The cover letter is well created, about two or three paragraphs, telling something about the applicant that you find interesting. It should mention relevant experience to your job opportunity.

  • There should be no more than one typo or grammar miscue. If there are more, it speaks to their ability to proofread. How are they going to do on estimates and quotes if they can't proofread their own letter?

  • The cover letter should look like a business letter, not something scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. Professionalism counts.

Let's look at the resume next. After your first look, you will separate the resumes into three categories:

  1. Worth a second read
  2. Maybe
  3. No Way

Most will go into 'no way'.

Things that I look for in a resume are:

  • It is current in its dating. No hand-filled in recent employment or hand changed data.

  • Most of the resume focuses on work history, not personal goals or accomplishments. (Except if they are a Mets fan.)

  • Check dating to make sure there are no unexplained gaps in school or work history. These can often have unpleasant consequences, such as a job history skipped, or jail-time. If a person is unemployed for a period of time, in this economy, that is not a problem. It should be noted on the resume.

  • I look at how many jobs the applicant has held. If they are young, I look to no more than a job a year. If they are into middle age, I like an average of a job change no more often then every three years. The era of long-term employment is over. Sorry.

  • Many people place salary levels on their resume. If they currently make more than 20% over what you can pay, don't bother. Even though people say they are willing to take a pay cut, they will still be looking for a job that pays what they want and may leave you very quickly. If their background is strong, place in the maybe pile; if not put in the 'no' pile.

  • Look for a one page resume. A long resume tells me that the person is unsure of them self, and they have to send a ton of information. The only time a long resume is required is for technical/scientific/advanced education jobs. For an office/staff position in our industry, one page should do. It also tells me if a person is able to communicate easily with brevity, which is an important point in sales and customer service.

  • Look for relevant experience, of course. If your job is service or phone heavy, and you are willing to train, then look for complimentary type jobs. Many times it is better to train someone to fit your organization than to bring in someone who 'knows it all'. This is a tough balancing act.

  • Look for timeliness in receiving the resume. If your ad is in Sunday's paper, you should have the resumes by Wednesday. If someone waits a week to mail to you, they are not really interested.

  • If you receive resumes by email and fax, look for proper formatting. If you can't open a file, they candidate didn't do their homework.

I have emphasized the sizzle rather than the steak. So far. Now let's get into the actual details of their work experience and potential.

Reread all of the resumes in the first pile. Make a quick judgement call--do I want to invest thirty minutes and meet this person? If so, call them, have a short conversation on the phone covering a couple of points:

  • If there is no salary experience, I ask "Can you give me a ballpark figure of what your earnings experiences have been?" If they are in your ballpark, ask them to come in for an interview. If not, honestly explain that your budget doesn't go that far, and you don't think an interview would be beneficial.

  • Make sure they know where you are located, and the rough hours that your job requires. If someone has a long commute, and winter weather has an impact on you, consider this before offering an interview.

  • Does the candidate's enthusiasm jump through the phone at you. Are they just job shopping, or do they really want to change their current position and join your organization.

  • If they ask questions, give short, to the point answers. If the question needs a longer answer, simply say, "That's a great question, let's cover that in the interview." When they ask the salary and/or benefits, give a reasonable ball park figure so each of you can make a first call decision. If they are looking for $50K, and you are offering $35K, there is no sense setting up an interview. If you are asked the salary question before you learn their earnings history, deflect the question by asking the range they are looking for. Then you can say, "looking at our total package, we will be within your range. Leave actual numbers discussions for the face-to-face.

  • Ask just a couple of questions concerning their job experiences. Enough to see if they did have the last listed job. No more than a minute or two. You will get into the details at the interview.

This phone call is only meant to qualify them for the interview. If you ask too many questions now, the candidate can rehearse their answers when you discuss the same questions in the interview. You want to see them answer the questions spontaneously.

Enough for today; next week we'll discuss the actual interview process.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Phone Doesn't Stop Ringing...Now What?

Congratulations. You placed the ad for the salesperson, the estimator, or your bookkeeper. You have let the previous person go, and you are in a rush to hire so you don't have to (OMG!) answer your own phone. To get off the phone you tell each person to mail a resume. Now don't you feel better that the phone is not ringing, and, by the way, you just made the biggest mistake possible for the month of July.

We talked about the initial contact with glass mechanics and laborers. The guidelines for an office person are 180 degrees the other way. Your professional and admin people will be on the phone more than they will be in-person with your customers. You want to hear how they sound on the phone; how quickly they think and how they respond to questions. Invest ten minutes with each candidate on the phone before inviting them to a face-to-face interview. The initial phone contact really is their first interview with you.

If she/he hem and stammer on the phone, move to the next one. If they are shrill or too aggressive, move on. If they are mousy and can't keep a conversation going for a minute, move on. If they have poor grammar, or speak with marbles in their mouth, move on.

Here are some specifics that I used. The first thing you should hear is their name and why they are calling. If the candidate is hesitant to give their name, move on. (This may be a competitor or one of your current employees going on a fishing trip to see what you are offering.) The candidate, in the first thirty seconds should make you want to speak with them for another five minutes. Just like the first paragraph of a story, or even a blog, the candidate should want to set the hook. If they do this with you, they have the instinct to do this with a potential or current customer. This is teachable, but if your candidate already has this skill, go for it.

The applicant, after introducing them self, should next tell you, in under a minute, why they are the best person for the job; their experiences, their strong points, where they live in relation to you shop, and little bit about their personal life.

This shows that the applicant has thought about the call in advance; that they are professional in their dealings. Now it is your turn to show them why they should want to work for you! Have your one minute intro to the job down pat...practice it at home or on your drive to work. It should include: your location, the basic hours of the job, the duties of the position, and a little history of your firm.

Your story might sound like this. "We are a general purpose glass shop, located in the Tacoma Park area, looking for a person to work in our showroom from 8:30-5:00, 5 days a week. We'll ask you to come in one Saturday a month from 8:30 to 1:00, and you will receive a full day's pay for this half-day. You will take care of our phones, answering customer questions and setting up service calls, as well as dealing with customers that come into the showroom. What we do here is help people with broken glass replacement, or with new construction using energy-efficient and safety glass products."

That is more than enough for the first part of the phone contact. If your candidate didn't open with their bio, start your one minute pitch, and when you are done, simply say "Tell me a little bit about yourself." Let them talk, don't interrupt. Write a note to ask about this or that at the end of their speaking. There are so many questions you can't ask, but if the candidate speaks, you can listen. The candidate may answer you with "Well, what do you want to know about me?" Your answer should be "Just tell me about yourself and your business (or estimating, or sales) background." The key to this is not what they say, as much as how they say it. You will get more specifics about their work history from their resume or a face-to-face.

After you get them to speak, and if they really don't open up, then you can have a few specific questions that are conversation starters. Here are some examples: "So, what did you do on a daily basis at your last job?" How did you react when a customer called or walked-in and they were really upset?" Their answer can go from, "I talked them through the problem and resolved it," to "If they were upset, I usually called my supervisor or the owner to handle it." The second answer is your move on cue. Avoid the standard questions, "What did you like about your last job?" Most people have a pat answer to this one. Instead, ask open ended questions like, "I'm sure you liked your last job, but what would have been the a couple of things you thought could have been even better?" Let them ramble for a minute or so.

So far we haven't discussed money or benefits. If they bring up money first thing, move on. I have heard this so often..."To save us both some time, how much does this job pay? I want to see if it will work for me." If they can't invest five minutes to lay the groundwork for their next career move, then, you know...move on.

After five minutes of conversation, ask them "What other questions can I answer for you?" This is where the pay and benefits should fall in. It is OK to ask about pay, but not just the first thing. Here is a golden tip--if their first question is: "What is the vacation policy?" Move on. Give a ballpark range of the salary. After all, you do want to qualify if they are a candidate. After you give your salary ballpark, ask specifically, "What did you make at your last (current) job?" If they hem and haw, then you will hear a made-up number. If they give you an hourly rate, ask if they received O/T or bonuses. You are looking for a monthly or yearly total to help you with your decision. Ask if they contributed to their cost of benefits, how much? And what the benefits were? This marketplace info is priceless, especially if they are in the glass trade in your area!

You get the idea...spend the time on the phone, eliminating candidates, until someone reaches their full ten minutes, and then invite them in for a face-to-face. You may get fifty phone calls, and invite in five people. A one-in-ten ratio is just fine.

How do you get off the phone? Well, if they are a real candidate, invite them in. Don't tell them you will call them back when you have your schedule. You have each other on the hook, don't loose the opportunity. You will find that after they hang up on you, they will call the next ad, and suddenly you will loose a good candidate. Ask them to mail, email or fax their resume so you can review it prior to your meeting. This is solely to see if they have good written communication skills and if they can follow directions. If you are not interested, ask them to send their resume and you will call them once your interviewing schedule is firmed up.

Next week we will discuss how to read and get the most out of the resumes your receive.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

So, I Placed the 'Help Wanted' Ad, Now What?

You finally did it, you placed the ad. You are upgrading your workforce. You are expanding, you are going to be ready when the business turns strong.

Well, almost ready. Now you have to select the candidates you want to meet, finding the one or two that will fit into your organization and help to improve it.

Create the selection and interview process that fits the candidates for the job, or how do you get the right people to interview? If the job is for a glazier in the shop or the field, take phone calls as the first contact. Set the time of the phone calls between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning, or between 5:00 and 7:00 in the afternoon. Plan on spending a couple of days taking these calls.

You can always say in your ad to call at these hours, or fax a resume, but most mechanics won't have resumes. Plan no more than four or five minutes on that initial phone call. Prepare a one minute summary of your job opportunity and your company. Something like this: "We are an all-round glass and glazing company, on the north side of town. Our regular hours are from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, but occasionally we do require overtime or a Saturday. We offer an hourly salary and pay 80% of your medical and dental insurance. We don't require you to have your own tools. We do pre-employment drug and alcohol testing, and check your driver's license." "Now, let me ask you a couple of questions."

This is where you let the person on the phone do the talking. "What is your experience in commercial glazing?", or "How long have you been a glazier, and where?" "Why are you looking for a job now?" "Tell me about your current/last job and why you are no longer there." "What was your hourly rate at your current/last job?" "What benefits did your receive?" Where possible, ask questions, ask them with an open-ended style, for instance---"Tell me about your last job," compared to "What did you do most at your last job?" By the way, you will usually gain valuable info on your competitor's pay scale an benefits offered!

Pick one or two questions. Then let the candidate speak for a minute or two. Do they sound coherent? Are they respectful of the last/current job? Are they looking for a permanent job, or just another stepping stone? Do they make more money now than you are offering? (often times, this will end the phone call)

You might want to ask one technical question about the glazing systems you use. "How many hinges would you put on a 32" x 72" shower door?", or "How do you drill a hole in laminated glass?" After all, you do want to make sure that are a glass mechanic.

It's OK to let the conversation stop for a few seconds. You don't have to keep talking. See if the person picks up the ball with a question about your company. You probably place a higher value on glass skills, but you need a person that will be able to get along and communicate with other employees and your customers.

What if the applicant is not conversant in English? If you are in a multi-lingual area of the country, really try to have a person available in your shop who speaks the other language during your phone-in periods. If your current employees are bi-lingual, or even primarily non-English speakers, this has to be part of your phone program. It would be nice if everyone spoke English, but it just isn't going to happen. You may have your political opinions, but if you let them interfere with running your business, you will loose out in the long run.

The initial phone interview for a glass worker should be no more than four or five minutes. If the person is worth talking to further, schedule an in-person interview. If the candidate was making 20% or more than you can offer, let it go. If their commute is beyond a reasonable distance (have this amount of time set in your mind), then pass. When gas prices go up, you will be hit for a raise.

So, you like someone from the phone...set an appointment right then. If you are not sure, you don't have to make up your mind right now. Make notes on each phone call, placing some people in the "I'm going to think about category". If you are sure the person doesn't fit, thank them for their time and tell them you will try to call them back once your firm up your interviewing schedule.

At the end of the calling period, usually two or three days after the ad runs, you should look back at the 'maybe' pile. If someone still sticks out in your mind, call them to set up an interview.

Some owners ask every one to come in and fill out an application, and then create a call-back list. This limits you to people who are not working now, or just happen to be free during your walk-in hours. You think by getting a look at them and how will they fill out a form you are getting a leg up on the interview process. You are...but only on the lower half of the employment pool. The upper half, those currently working, usually can't stop in during business hours to fill out an app!

Next week we'll discuss the initial contact for office and admin jobs, and follow that with some interviewing techniques and tips in the weeks to come.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

How to Write a Help Wanted Ad

You've thought about my advice...now is the time to upgrade your staff...there are a lot of great people out there looking for work...or worse...someone reached out and took one of your great people...and now you are going to write that help wanted ad. You can waste your money and time, or you can read on for some tips in writing a help wanted ad for the glass industry.

I never had luck with a blind ad. The point being, you don't want to fire the person on the staff until you have the replacement. If the person is worth firing, just "do it", and get it over with. You will probably be better off without this person. When you interview off a blind ad, someone in your company will see this; it is inevitable. A phone call, a fax comes in, or a comment from a friend, to a friend, and suddenly you are embarrassed. This has happened to everyone at one time or another. If you have to ask the rest of your crew to work a little extra, they will probably thank you for getting rid of the one who wasn't pulling their freight.

If you have to place a blind ad, don't use your own PO Box, don't use your own fax line or email address. Rent a PO box in a different zip code than the one you are in or, use the box system provided by most newspapers and magazines. If one of your current employees sees you are advertising with a blind box, this will spread in your company and suddenly everyone will be looking over their shoulder. Your productivity and morale will go right down the tubes.

When you use a blind ad, you will get less responses. Many applicants won't respond to a blind ad for fear it is their own company. They don't know who you are and may not trust that you will hold their resume in confidence. If you want your ad to be totally blind, you can't say much about the job or your company. If you put enough information in to make your job look interesting, a smart person from your industry will figure it out, and that defeats the blind box concept.


So, let the person go, and place a very public ad.


Make the ad a selling piece for your company. A thin two-line ad, represents your company as a thin, cheap company. You don't need graphics or boxes and borders. You do need information that will draw in the best applicants.


Here are some very important things that must go in your ad:


  • A headline that describes your specific job. Most newspapers alphabetize the help wanted listings by the type of job. If your headline says "self-starter", your job will be listed in the "S" section

  • What you really want is a headline that says "Glazier" or "Office Help" or "Driver". Don't be cute in your headline. Leave that to the ad agencies with plenty of money to spend.

  • Lead off with a short, accurate description of the job.

  • Follow that with a reference to your geographic area. If you are in small city, you may not need this, but in a medium or large city, this is one of the first things applicants look for.

  • Next you want to mention the requirements you have for the specific job--hours, car or truck required, language skills needed, certifications needed, and specific skills. If you are looking for entry level, say it here. If you will train, say it here. If you want someone who can cut heavy glass, for instance, or can drive a fork lift, this is spot to write your details.

  • Now you want to show the reasons why an applicant should consider your company. How long have you been in business or how reliable is the work, in the sense of full 40 hour weeks, or no layoffs. Is your company growing? Mention if this is a new position required because of growth. If you have promoted someone and you are replacing them, put that in the ad. Applicants want companies that are growing or promoting from within.

  • Next give a few details of what you are offering. Do not show dollars you are paying, but do say if the job is salary, hourly, or a combination, maybe with an incentive. Give your benefits package a full line or more. If you have medical, dental, vision, disability, or any other health benefits, put them in the ad. If you have a 401k, mention it. Don't put in vacation time or sick days allotted. I'll talk more about those later. If you offer any education benefits---paying for classes, or time off for school, mention it. These are great selling points for people who are trying hard to improve themselves.

  • Close the ad with how you want to communicate with the applicant. Are you accepting phone calls, maybe between a certain time? Are you accepting e-mail? Do you want a mailed resume? Do you prefer a walk-in for the application? Place your company name, address, phone, or e-mail, and you are ready to go.

Go where?

Let's review the last bullet point. If the job is a factory or manual labor job, don't ask for resumes or e-mails. Use a phone or walk-in. If the job is an estimator or office person, go only with a resume. You want to see how the person communicates in writing. If you leave a phone number, list a couple of times that are good to call, one being early or late in the day. This gives someone who is working a chance to call on their off time. If someone calls other than your prescribed times, they are either very pushy, or can't follow basic directions. Is this the person you want?

Next week we'll talk about reading the resumes you get, answering the phone calls and the e-mails, all with the intent of getting better employees for your company.