KeenHire Blog by Margaret Graziano

Use the Best Interviewing Tools to Make Better Hiring Decisions

 

The interviewing process is one of the most important for any business. All managers and recruiters need to be armed with a range of the best interviewing tools on the market to ensure that the hire the right person for the job.

This is where the interviewing, hiring and management specialists at KeenHire come into play. We find and develop the best interviewing tools possible to make sure that the people you hire are the people who are really going to be able to take your company to the next stage.

Over the past 5 years, the interviewing and hiring specialists at KeenHire have spent their time evaluating over 100 assessments, analyzing the good and bad points of each kind of interviewing assessment technique before deciding on the best interviewing tools and interviewing books to then represent and feature in “Margo’s Picks.”

We have a number of interviewing tools on sale and we would be happy to go through the details of any of them at any time, so please contact us about the interviewing tools that you are interested in using within your human resources system today.

Creating Success and Happiness; Putting The Right People, In The Right Roles

Last Thursday, the CEO of one of the most successful businesses in the world announced his resignation. Steve Jobs the co-founder of Apple is signing off to a new era. Jobs has been on sick leave since January of this year and has told the press, “"I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know."

Steve Jobs has given businesses, technology and this country so much. He has been called, "the world's magic man." But why is it that he has been so successful? Well, Jobs makes his path the triumph very clear in his 2005 commencement speech for Stanford University, he will not settle, and he will always love what he does.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

Working just to work does not achieve the success and happiness that we all strive for. But how do you find that drive? Where can you look to start a new career path? One that is right for you and creates success and happiness? What is the process in shifting the entire distinction of "work" from somewhere to go and something to do, to one of engagement, productivity and mutual returns?

KeenHire Talent Management specializes in aligning the right people for the right roles with the right companies. We work with our candidates to maximize their strengths, secure the job they want and integrate into their new role with power and ease.

Although right now you need a job, a paycheck and a sense of stability, in a few months reality will set in and you will be left with the question…”Is this the right place for me?”  If the answer is no, the hunt starts again.  The more times you take the wrong job, the more yourself esteem diminishes, your motivation drags and your income lags.

At KeenHire, we work with our candidates to evaluate your career goals, your core differentiators and your winning formula that helps you efficiently and effectively strategize your career search process to select the best fit and eliminate the rest.

 

By: Emily Eastman

 

Recruitment: Why Change is Good

Global employment is changing rapidly. Within the last 20 years, we've witnessed highs and lows that have redefined the way talent is acquired, assessed, and implemented into the various business environments of the modern world. This change has been a result of global events, government regulations, and a changing economic climate that has demanded efficiency. Not only is this change revolutionizing the recruitment and hiring process, but is benefiting both recruiters and growing companies alike.

If the Job Could Talk...

By Bill J. Bonnstetter

 

JOB TALK

If a job could talk, it would explain precisely what was necessary to achieve superior performance. We could ask it to tell us about the:

• Knowledge a person needs,
• Personal attributes required to drive success,
• Rewards for superior performance,
• Hard skills vital for the job,
• Behaviors necessary to perform at peak levels, and
• Intrinsic motivators.

But we all know that jobs can't talk. If they did, we would certainly hear the real story.

KeenHire Recruiter Certification Training - November 11, 2010

Performance Based Hiring Model Certification Training Agenda 11.11.10-11.13.10

THURSDAY AFTERNOON – Margaret Graziano

1:00-1:40         Montage, KeenHire Story, Charter  

1:40-2:10         Business Case

2:10-3:15         KeenHire Business Model Presentation

3:15-4:30         Conscious Hiring Presentation

4:30-5:00         Download 26step Conscious Hiring Process

5:00-6:00         Keen Case Studies (Duncan, Discovery, Clark, Les Mills)

6:00                  Social

7:00                  Dinner – Thea, San Jose  

FRIDAY MORNING – Margaret Graziano

8:00-9:30          Benchmarking/Role Analysis Overview

9:45-10:45        KPI Role Play

10:45-11:15      Task Analysis

11:15-11:45      Cluster Tasks

11:45-12:30      Selection Criteria (working lunch)

FRIDAY AFTERNOON -  Dr. Stephanie Marberry

1:00-2:15         Assessments & Behavioral Interviews - Why are they keys to hiring success?

2:30-4:00         Assessment Presentation

4:00-6:00         Introduction to Behavioral Interviewing Presentation and Software

6:00                  Social

7:00                  Dinner – Maggianos, San Jose  

SATURDAY MORNING – Dr. Stephanie Marberry

8:00-9:30         Behavioral Movies

9:30-10:00       Matrix Ranking

10:00-10:30     Pick Questions & Overview of Keentip and scoring (recruiter)

10:30-11:00     Mock Interview Role Play I

11:00-11:30     Mock Interview Role Play II

11:30-12:00     Rapid Recall

MANUALS & RESOURCE MATERIAL

• 26 Step Process
• Behavioral Interview

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

• 26 step overview (in manual)
• Sample Assessments (KeenClues, TriMetrix, Achiever)
• Behavioral Scan
• Training documents for sending and pulling assessments

 

 

Conscious Hiring-Maximize Your Hiring Effectiveness!

An Effective & Operationally Efficient Talent Delivery Model for Astute Employers

 

The Premise

Fundamental to building an organization with the best resources is implementing a hiring process that attracts the right people, screens and assesses that those people have the right stuff to do the job in the right way and engages the right people to come on board ready to hit the ground running! KeenHire Conscious Hiring training enables you to learn interviewing strategies and helps your company succeed.

 

Companies with a very specific purpose and mission require a strategic Talent Acquisition plan and a carefully defined new employee selection process to get them where they are going. Business leaders of these organizations know that the success of their organization depends on the quality of the people inside. A Conscious Hiring process takes into account the purpose and result base for each employment position in the company, then it looks to your business philosophies, company mission, vision and core values. Only after the core business objectives are considered is an astute employee screening, selection process and interview strategy implemented.  KeenHire Talent Management’s Conscious-Hiring process trains and enables you to identify the right people for the right roles while causing early engagement of the right people throughout the hiring process.

A fundamental aspect of a Conscious-Hiring process is systematically integrating and on boarding each new hire into your organization.

One of your only competitive advantages is the how your mission critical, key contributor and next level leaders solve your company's business issues, execute your companies mission, run the operations and interact with your customers.  In a nutshell the success of your company hinges on its ability to recruit, interview, hire and retain its employee talent base wisely.

Make no mistake about it, your hiring decisions make or break your business. What you don’t know will cost you: training time, management time and workforce productivity losses, company morale and employee productivity, new sales and customers. The bottom line is if you want a healthy EBITA you must run an organization with the right profit minded, effective and 'can do' people. KeenHire Conscious Hiring training enables you to learn interviewing strategies and helps your company succeed.

A holistic Conscious Hiring process empowers you to hire right the first time, every time.

The Program
•Change the way you think about your employees' impact on your business

•Raise the level of influence and span of control your Recruitment and Employee Selection process  

  has on your company's overall organizational effectiveness

•Learn how to avoid common interviewing traps & mitigate hiring risk

•Hone in on the key elements of building a systematic results based Conscious-Hiring process

•Hire right the first time and increase your employee ROI

 

 The Takeaways

1. Walk away with a blueprint for creating a highly effective Conscious-Hiring process
2. Learn to conduct Role Analysis, the organizational development approach to scoping the role
3. Study a step-by-step process for Choosing Your Talent Wisely and hiring with your head
4. Understand how to use, select and administer psychometric assessment tools
5. Review Behavioral Interviewing techniques; the when, why and hows

The Expert

Dr. Stephanie Marberry, Interviewing Strategies Consultant, received her Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational and Social Psychology from Northern Illinois University.  As an originating partner at KeenHire Talent Management, Stephanie has consulted with small to mid-sized companies in High Touch and High Tech markets to improve their hiring efficiency and effectiveness through the implementation of customized selection systems. Dr. Marberry has a passion for educating others on current HR best practices by utilizing the appropriate scientific tools and methods to identify, select, develop, and retain top talent. Her facilitative training style encourages discussion and application, allowing her participants to gain a clear understanding on how to implement the techniques into their own business processes.

 

Want to Bring a KeenHire Interview Strategies Consultant In-house? Call Today! 1-888-533-6447

 

Registration

Virtual Courses consist of 4 weekly 2 hour sessions on Fridays at 12:00 p.m. pacific and begin on June 18, August 9, September 17 and costs $399.00 per person. Save 30% overall when you register 3 or more participants. Click here to register for Conscious Hiring.

 

Can't make time for training, visit the KeenHire on line store and purchase tools, workbooks, scripts, manuals, assessments, CD's, DVD's, books and more.

You're Hired-Stand Out Strategies For The Astute Job Seeker

The Program Empowers You to:
    •    Differentiate yourself from the Sea of Competition
    •    Discover your strengths to get you that job, NOW
    •    Develop and gain insight and clarity on your Ideal Role and Company
    •    Learn the critical aspects to successful interviewing
    •    Receive direct resume coaching from recruitment professionals
    •    Design a job search action plan & interview preparation with Recruitment Executive

Tangible Takeaways:
    •    Acing the Interview Action Plan
    •    Tips and Techniques that Differentiate You as a Candidate

Introductory Course
An Overview and Highlight into the full program

Cost $19.75

Dates: 4.20 - 4.22 - 4.29 :  9:00-9:30 pst

To Register: Click Here

You walk away with a guide for landing the Job of Your Dreams!


Full Course
You're Hired is a 4.5 hour program that delivers personalized career and job search coaching all done from the comfort and ease of your home. It all starts with an In Depth, hands on Workshop. Stand Out Strategies for the Astute Job Seeker led by 25-year top recruitment Industry professional Margaret (Margo) Graziano.You will then receive Three - One on one Job Search & Interviewing Empowerment Coaching Sessions. Click here for full program in-depth overview.

Length – 2 hour workshop and 3- 45 minutes one on one career guidance coaching sessions with Industry Pros committed to your success.

Cost  $599.00

Dates:

May 4 - 9:00-11:00 a.m. pst

May 13 - 3:00-5:00 p.m. pst

May 21 - 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. pst

To Register: Click Here

You walk away with a complete strategy for differentiating yourself from the Sea of Competition, a Powerhouse Resume, Killer Interviewing Skills, Self Confidence, Direction and a new strength to go after what you want with a vengeance.

Should You Hire People Smarter Than You?

It's one of the pieces of wisdom you read in business magazines.

     Hire people smarter than you.

You hear it from motivational speakers, successful entrepreneurs, and people who like to give advice on any topic.  "The secret of my success was hiring people smarter than me."  But is that true?

If that were really true, than the dumbest person in any corporation would be the CEO.  While some people may snicker behind their hands when they read that, most of us know that it's just not true.  So what's the behind the myth?  What does it really mean to hire someone smarter than you?  And does Corporate America follow it?

What Does Donald Trump Think?
"Management -- Donald fought the platitude pattern and said "You want to be smarter than your people." He thought the notion that you should hire people smarter than you was a poor one."

800-CEO-Read (The CEO Blog) has Bob Rosen weigh in:
"One of the most important aspects of being a leader is hiring people smarter than you. That’s why top leaders spend more time putting the right team in place to accomplish their objectives than they spend on planning, strategizing, or many other components of their job."

Small Business Bloggers Like Staff Writers Better Than The Top Guy:
"Skellie is a young writer who he hired in late 2007 to be Problogger’s first staff writer. I don’t know what it is about her that makes the writing better than his; it just is to me. Now, you may think this is a dig against Darren Rowse, but is it not—in fact, this is praise. The reason why I give kudos to Darren Rowse is because he is a very talented writer and yet he managed to find someone who is more talented than he is. I think that hiring people who have a high level of talent is the mark of strong leadership, forward thinking, and a commitment to quality."

And this Kiwi (New Zealander) buys into the notion:
"When we recruit new staff we encourage managers to hire people who are smarter than they are, with more energy and better ideas."

So maybe that isn't indicative of Corporate America, but Google ranks them the highest, and it brings a nice cross section of opinion.  But what does it mean.   Should we be shelling out IQ tests to candidates, and hire the ones who beat us?  Should we challenge our employees to Sudoku matches, with the winners getting a set of steakknives and the losers pink slips?

Hiring People Is Job Number One

Ask any entrepreneur what keeps them up at night, and their answer will be "hiring the right people."  The composition of your staff is the single biggest predictor of your success as a business owner, but it's also one of the most misunderstood areas.

I was reading yesterday some study (and I forget who sent it to me) that said that adding an interview to the employment process improved your chances of getting the right person by 2%.  That seems blasphemous when everyone you know got their job because of an interview, but the truth is that interviews are given by people not trained in interviewing, and interviews are performed by people not trained in acing an interview.

Gut feel is the culprit, and it's something that's universal.  Universally wrong, that is.  That's one of the reasons I teach benchmarking.  So much of what we assume about hiring is bad knowledge passed on from generation to generation.  It wasn't that along ago that staffing firms hired young men based on the shoes they were wearing or depending on whether they played a sport in college (that's no joke - those are real people interviewing with those questions).

For me, the need to hire the right people transformed my thinking about hiring.  My job was to hire the right people for my client, but when I looked at my internal staff, it was clear that I wasn't getting what I wanted.  So I started to look around for what drove interview success.  When I found the answers, which involve benchmarking, personality assessments, and behavioral interviewing, I applied them to my own internal hires.

And then it hit me. If it works for me, it will absolutely work for my clients. And the idea for KeenHire was born.  So when I call you on the phone, I'm not selling something because a boss decided to push a product on their salespeople. I'm selling something I believe in because it worked for me.

Hiring the right people is the most important job you have, as an owner or as a manager. What are you doing to make sure you're doing that job right? 

Call me.  Margaret Graziano.  1-888-Keen-Hire.

Sins of Omission In The Land Of Opportunity

In today’s volatile world, paying the price to live and work in the land of the free and the home of the brave means full disclosure.

Full disclosure you ask?

It means letting it all hang out, telling the truth, not lying or faking about your background, accomplishments, experience or employment intentions.

Being 100% responsible for who you are and what you bring to the table.

What is a lie?
What is considered a lie?
What is a sin of omission and is it worse than a sin of co-mission?

As I lead workshops for the unemployed on how to Ace the Interview, a chronic complaint under the guise of a question always seems to emerge out of the participant’s job hunt frustration. That complaint is, “Why do these employers make us job applicants jump through flaming hoops of fire just to go to work for their company?  Aren’t they grateful we applied?  They need us.  After all there is a talent shortage out there!”

Over the years my response hasn’t changed, “Aren’t you asking them to pay you each week, aren’t you asking them to give you an opportunity to work? Furthermore, why you would event want to go work for a company that in this day in age did not take hiring as a serious matter?”