Fistful of Talent

Why Starting A New Job Can Really Suck!

The HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn, and I have something in common (no it's not our mad outside J) - we've both started new gigs recently.  I think we would both argue that we landed some pretty good positions, with great companies - but I might also argue that both companies probably could have done a little better on the orientation side of the equation.  I won't speak for Kris, his company might have laid out the red carpet, had his company laptop and cell phone up and running, as they handed it to him with his new business cards as he parked in his personal executive parking spot - but my first day/week wasn't quite that organized.  Being that this isn't my first rodeo, I expected as much - because rarely have I seen a company get it right - there's always effort and well meaning people - but the majority of us just struggle to remember what it is like being an employee in our first days and weeks.

Now, I'm not talking about the orientation that many HR Administrators who are reading this right now believe they have locked and loaded. You know the one - 8 hours in one room as a parade of managers/directors from the departments like safety, legal, risk, training, diversity, benefits, and which ever executive drew the short straw to come tell of the great new mission, vision, values, policies, systems, practices, guidelines, do/don'ts of every possible thing you might run into in your 30 year career!   The kind of day where you find yourself putting toothpicks in your eyelids to keep you eyes open (true story - I was actually called by the CEO at one company I worked for to come fire someone who had fallen asleep at orientation, on their first day, during his opening speech! I still wondered who should have been fired in that case?! Since, it was the 2nd time HR had been called for someone falling asleep during his speech!). I'm talking about how we really get people ready to take on the roles we've hired them for.

So, what does it look like when we (HR Pros) get it right? 

When I went to work for Applebee's International as a HR Regional Manager a few years back - they got it - they got it at a very high level (shout out to my HR Peeps at Applebee's! - you still Rock!).   About 10 days before I started I got an email from my supervisor with two attachments.  The first one was a calendar which had what I would be doing by day - for the next 60 days (and yes - 1 of those days was the corporate orientation, 8 hours in a room and please drink the kool-aid). The other was a break down of all the systems and processes I would have to know to be effective in my job.  The break down of processes was linked to the calendar, so that as I met with different individuals over the next two months - I would eventually learn all I would need to know.

--Step 1: Have Proper Expectations of your New Hires

Applebee's didn't expect that I would start day 1, week 1 and be a rock star.  They expected that day 1, week 1, I would probably want to know where the bathroom is and should I park in front or back.  How many times do we ask new hires in their first week to come into an important meeting and spout off their opinion? Not knowing the context, what the organization already believes, etc. We set them up to fail.

--Step 2: Don't let the New Hire show up Day 1 not knowing what they'll be doing

You want to talk about anxiety - "just show up at 8am and we'll get you started" - that will really show them how good you are.  Make a plan and share with the person - Before they actually start. Believe me, they appreciate it, and you'll have faster ramp up time.

--Step 3: Have a clue about what success looks like

The most valuable piece of a good orientation is to share with the new hire what your organization views as success for the position the person is coming into.  Day 1, week 1, everyone will know where they need to go.

--Step 4:  One size doesn't fit all

This probably something best left to hiring managers and departments where the person is going to work. HR can support this process by providing a great framework for design of the program, and ensuring all new hires don't get cheated out of a great orientation to the organization.

It doesn't have to be all glossy and bound - but it does have to be thought out and executed. Make sure the time and resources and put into the content, and not how it looks.

Editor's Note - Tim Sackett is the Executive Vice President for HRU Technical Resources, which really means they just ran out of titles between Director and CEO.  Tim's job is to make sure everyone is happy and productive – for those who have worked in staffing firms, you know exactly what that means. HRU is primarily an engineering and technical contingency firm that specializes in the manufacturing sector in defense, consumer products, automotive, higher ed, etc.  HRU is based in Lansing, MI – but has close to 500 employees all over the country. 

Dude, You've Got a Culture Issue, Not a Gen Y Problem!!!

So, put yourself in my shoes as I was asked this question last week:

"The culture at my company doesn't really work for Gen Y kids. When we give feedback, most times it's direct and to the point. We tell you what's wrong or what needs to change, and then people go and change. Now we have younger employees who want more when you give them feedback, and they ask, 'How do I improve or change? What do I need to do differently if I'm not doing it right?' And we don't know how to respond. We've never had to dig that deep. We've always just been critical and then moved on. Why is Gen Y so demanding?" 

Sigh. And, to boot, it was an HR pro who asked me the question. To be fair, at least he asked, right? And it was in a safe setting where we were all learning - he asked in a roomful of other HR pros as I was presenting at an onboarding seminar for IQPC where I was specifically presenting on strategies for onboarding Gen Y. 

Back to the question though - how would you have answered that? Before he could even finish, I wanted to scream, "Dude! You've got a culture problem on your hands! The issue isn't with Gen Y!" Yet, I smiled, and nodded as he finished up his question. But before I could even open my mouth, a fellow Gen Y HR pro attending the seminar spoke up and asked how else is he, as a Gen Y person, supposed to become better at his job if he's not provided specific guidance? He said that he and all the Gen Y peeps he knows are really open to change and want to improve and become better at their craft - because after all, we're goal-oriented suckers. And we're not foolish enough to think we can just do it on our own or find the answer on Wikipedia.

A boomer HR pro at another table jumped in immediately thereafter. She asked the man who raised the question whether he had kids. He said yes. And she asked him to think about it from a parenting perspective... if you told your kid, who just started playing basketball a year ago, that he needed to work on his layup - would you just leave it at that? Or would you help him practice? Would you give him hints and tips and advice on how he could get better? 

Ladies and gentleman... two lessons from this little anecdote of mine:

1. The issues a lot of folks peg onto Gen Y - they aren't necessarily just unique or specific Gen Y issues. You may think we're needy, demanding, or that we have high expectations... but some of this boils down to creating a culture around performance, and good, solid management skills. Really. 

2. The wisdom of the crowds, it's a beautiful thing and our collective knowledge is amazing. Sometimes Often when presenting, I find that turning it over to the audience is as effective, if not more effective, than me just "lecturing." Say what you need to, teach the lessons you feel are important, but know when you need to move from behind the podium and into the crowd to become a facilitator. 

The deck I presented from is below for your enjoyment. Holler with questions if you've got 'em.

 

PS: One of the joys and benefits of blogging is brand building - and that brand, it would be you. Or me. Thanks to my blogging here at Fistful of Talent, the kind folks at IQPC found me and asked me to present at a seminar focused on onboarding. What a great professional development exercise for me, but also an opportunity to share with my fellow HR cronies about my views on the world. The power of social media and the blogosphere is well and alive, folks.

Why You Are the Equivalent of Enron on Time to Fill Calculations...

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics....

I was teaching a local PHR/SPHR certification class a couple of weeks ago, and I asked the class to give me some examples of how HR metrics could be manipulated, in an effort to make performance look better...

The one I was after that the recruiters in the class jumped on right away?  TIME TO FILL (also known as time to hire)...

Here are the questions to ask to know if a HR/recruiting shop is maximizing their performance through formula management:

1. -On your time to fill formula, is the "end date" the time you get the signed offer back, or the actual start date of the employee in question?
2. -On your time to fill formula, is the "start date" the time the position is vacant, or is it posted after moving through all the requisition formulas?
3. -When you have a signed offer and have closed the requisition, when a candidate backs out and never shows for the first day, do you reopen the requisition in question, or start a new one?

You probably have some "thoughts" (you big manipulator) to add to the list as well.  As for me, the fact that I call it "time to fill" instead of "time to hire" tells you all you need to know about my practice on item #1.  It's signed offer time and close, baby....

As for #2 and #3, I'm always a little gun shy to stretch the definition on those.  My take is that it's not my fault that it takes a candidate 2-3 weeks after accepting the offer to report, so I can hold my head high in using a signed offer for the end date.

Just look at you, rationalizing your own practices in this area.  Have you no shame?  Didn't you learn anything from the Enron gang?

Better lock the formulas on that spreadsheet.

No Fa-Fa-Fa-Fooling - Coaching Def Leppard (and Your New Hires) Not to Commit Political Suicide..

I admit it.  I LOVE Def Leppard.  Regardless of the fact that I don’t understand much of what Joe Elliot actually sings: ”You're bringin’ on the heartbreak, yeah yeah, uh huh, watermelon…”, the band rocks and I still remember sitting in my date’s Honda Prelude, CD blaring on our way to the “Hysteria” concert – topped off with a post-concert dinner at Bennigan’s.  Yeah, those were the days.

But back to 2008 – in today’s world, Def Leppard is hardly relevant; however, lead singer Joe Elliot created his own hysteria by (gasp!) placing the Stanley Cup up-side-down!

Hey, at least the concert wasn’t in Canada!  Not sure his lawyer is an expert in extradition.

Why the blunder?  Because no one coached him.  No one took the time to pull him aside and whisper, “Hey Joe, this is the U.S. and at least an eighth of the country really digs hockey, so don’t screw this up”.  How easy would it have been to make sure the foreigner was set up for success?

What about the new talent in your organization?  Do you take the time to prep them on the political nuances, the cultural norms, how to navigate the organization to get things done – or do you pat yourself on the back once you’ve ensured they know where to find the bathroom on their first day?  I bet many of you spend a lot of cash attracting, selecting and negotiating a deal with your top talent – only to leave them hanging. Poor chaps – out there wandering the hallways of corporate America like Def Leppard's Joe Elliott trying to undo an innocent mistake. 

Effective on-boarding/immersion/assimilation, that pre-hire and post-hire huddle, is the right way to ensure your investment makes an impact (and the right kind) within their first 30-60-90 days. It is so much more than just the first day, especially when most of those are focused on endless stacks of new hire paperwork, mug shots, fingerprinting and help us all – the hours spent in a conference room listening to some HR newbie drone on and on about benefits!

A few companies out there actually do this right and focus more on the cultural aspects of becoming part of the team.  Take Yahoo! who, in addition to posting the typical company values, gives you insight into those things they don’t value.  They also lift up their covers via their corporate blog site “Yodel Anecdotal”.  There are numerous blogs to peruse but to get a glimpse of the culture, check out the not so creatively titled, “Working at Yahoo!”. They even share their talent management process with outsiders - at the IQPC’s Talent Onboarding Conference this summer, attendees were taken to the Yahoo! campus and got a peek at their experiential process – in other words, how to find more than the coffee bar.

Take the time to prep your talent and focus on the cultural tone and undercurrent of your organization. It only takes one gaffe to undo credibility, reputations or to cause hockey lovers to rip down their Def Leppard posters.

Editors Note - Kathy Rapp is a Managing Director for HR Search Firm in Houston, where she helps progressive companies find groovy HR Talent to drive business results.  Prior to joining HR Search firm, Kathy booked more than 15 years of progressive human resources leadership experience working for such companies as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Redstone Companies, Morgan Stanley and First Data Corporation.  A connoisseur of the intersection between pop culture and business, Kathy believes many talent issues can be addressed via the succession planning lessons experienced by Van Halen (David Lee/Sammy and sadly, Gary Cherone). 

Onboarding for Dummies - Employees Join Companies, But Quit Supervisors...

The latest issue of Workforce Recruiting is out, and the focus is on a topic that's easy to agree with, but hard to execute - the role of effective onboarding in driving increased retention and engagement.

So, here's the question.  Can an extended onboarding process that lasts a year drive better retention and engagement? The answer is obviously yes, but as with many obvious answers.... the question is how?

HR can't be the Love Boat onboarding police, and that's the fundamental problem with onboarding that extends beyond the normal orientation period.  You're only as good in retention as your front-line managers allow you to be.

That's especially true if you have a wide range of talents and capabilities among your most entry-level supervisors, which most of us do.  Some managers naturally have the gift that comes with instincts and experience, while others struggle.  So, it goes with their ability to retain employees.

So how do you effectively onboard, help maximize retention, and reduce voluntary turnover with your group of front-line supervisors?

The Workforce Institute recently released a whitepaper with multiple takes on the role of Front-line Managers in retaining hourly workers, including:

-Refusing to accept that there is nothing you can do to improve voluntary turnover (this would seem to be a call for structure in the onboarding process, related to formalizing the activities of managers in onboarding, acclimation and retention); and

-Measuring the performance of front-line managers with respect to their management of turnover (this would seem to motivate front line managers to comply with the onboarding structure you put in place - after all, what gets measured usually gets results). 

So, putting an extended onboarding process in place is a good thing.  But unless the front-line supervisors are helping to drive the activities, it won't matter.

Hate to throw out the buzzword here, but reducing voluntary turnover while keeping pay and benefits the same probably comes back to whether you create high levels of engagement within your workforce.

For engagement, I read Zinger and Wright.   One of the things I learned from Tim Wright on engagement was that in the average workforce, 29 percent of employees are engaged in their work, 54 percent are not engaged, and 17 percent are actively disengaged. 

That suggests that one of the best ways for organizations to reduce voluntary turnover is to figure out a way to prevent new employees from migrating to the "not engaged" category.  Every new employee comes into your organization engaged.  How long they stay engaged depends on whether your workplace drives the following traits of engaged employees (from the Gallup G12):

• Consistent levels of high performance.
• Natural innovation and drive for efficiency.
• Intentional building of supportive relationships.
• Clear about the desired outcomes of their role.
• Emotionally committed to what they do.
• Challenge purpose to achieve goals.
• High energy and enthusiasm.
• Never runs out of things to do, create positive things to act on.
• Broaden what they do and build on it.
• Commitment to company, work group, and role.

Which ones can you impact as a company through onboarding to help reduce voluntary turnover?  I bolded the ones I thought might be possibilities, through better performance management, communication, etc.  Note that the best person to drive those activities, with coaching, training and support from you, is the employee's manager/supervisor.

The ones that aren't bolded?  You probably need to figure these out at the point of hire, because they seem difficult to impact once the person is in your workforce....

Don't Call Me Fat During the Relo Trip (From Mrs. HR Capitalist)

I am married to the HR Capitalist.  And yes, I call him that around the house; as in, "Hey Capitalist, dinner is ready."  No, not really.  I'm the boss, and he's lucky he gets to hang around...

Actually, I am the copy editor for both blogs - HR Capitalist and Fistful of Talent, though I have no credentials listed on the site.  I guess I am the "behind the scenes" gal - you know, the kind that makes the man look good, checking spelling, sentences, etc.  Nevertheless, this is my first opportunity to actually write to either site.  If you are reading this, I guess I made the cut. 

When I read Jason Pankow's contribution to FOT a couple of weeks ago regarding selling the relocation to the spouse, I knew I had to share our family's relocation experiences.  Jason is right on - the candidate can be all about the relocation, but I think in many relationships, the spouse has the ultimate approval or veto power. 

Here is one absolutely true scenario that we have experienced firsthand in the HR Capitalist household:

The year was 2001.  We're living in Birmingham, Alabama, with our one year old son.  Kris is field-based VP of HR for a Fortune 500, that shall remain nameless.  I am a District Attorney (that means I prosecute criminals) in an office I love, and have some seniority having been there for about 4 years.  Kris gets the call from the higher ups to take a job in Denver, with said company, to lead the whole HR function for the western region of the US.  Neither of us had ever been to Denver, so the prospect certainly piqued our curiosity. 

So, Kris goes out a couple of weeks before me and makes the rounds in the Denver office and does a little house hunting in his spare time.  When he comes home, he issues me a very understated warning about the real estate in the metro and suburban Denver area, as in "Ang, the houses are not going to be quite as big, or look like they do here.  Just know that going in."  OK.  He already realized that selling this move to me was going to be difficult, so he is being sort of cautiously vague, but definitely managing expectations.  Anyway, we fly out there and my initial illusions about beautiful, wooded neighborhoods were rapidly dismissed.  Now, no offense to anyone from Denver, but where are all the trees?  We landed at the airport and it looks like the plains of Kansas - or the surface of the moon! I think Rocky Mountains, and I think trees with the mountains.  The mountains are in the distance and most of the city is high desert - no trees.  We live in Birmingham and we have about, oh 20 million more trees than you do.

I was honestly trying to keep an open mind, as Kris seemed pretty excited about the possibility of this change (hello career ambition!!).  So, we drive through some neighborhoods and I can feel Kris biting his lip.  Nothing like seeing 500 of the exact same house, half the size of ours, but double the price, within about 5 feet of each other.  Really?  It's got to get better, right?  Here's the kicker... 

For lunch, we head to a local upscale Tex-Mex joint to meet up with the guy who would be Kris's boss in Denver, if he were to accept this transition.  Kris makes introductions, we sit down, we order . . . Having never been to this particular chain restaurant, I ordered a salad as well as an entree.  When the food arrives, the servings are HUGE and the salad and the entre are each on GINORMOUS plates of their own.  Basically, three plates take up the whole table, and the waiter doesn't know where to put the fourth plate, which happens to be mine (I ordered a salad earlier, remember?).  The potential future boss looks right at me, no smile, and says, "Are you hungry, Angela?" in the most snide manner possible.  Now, I have a pretty average build (5'7", about 125), and I don't easily get offended, but you have to admit that was over the top.  I heard the air leave the Capitalist's lungs next to me; he must have been motioning for the check as he steadied himself from the dizziness. 

Of course, that comment did not make or break our decision on whether to relocate to Denver, but for some people, it might have.  Just imagine if I had been overweight and sensitive about it OR even worse, if I had been suffering from an eating disorder, like bulimia.  What a ghastly mistake from the guy who should have been making his greatest effort to sell me - the spouse - on the relo.  That was the BAD and the UGLY!

So, the trip was awful and the company did nothing to help the sales process.  I guess they thought that Denver would sell itself over Birmingham, but relo is all relative to the experiences of the family pondering it.  For us, we would have missed the trees, and believe it or not, the physical beauty of where we live compared to Denver.  And, of course, paying twice as much for a house that is significantly smaller would have been a bummer.

Still, the Capitalist kept selling, and he had me convinced that we needed to go.  At the end of process he blinked and said he was going on "instinct" to not take the position and stay in his current role.  What???

8 months later, the Fortune 500 flew a plane into Denver, and shut the Divisional office down, taking the little dictator who cared enough to call the relocating spouse "fatty" (I'm making that up but it feels good) out of the company, and everyone who reported to him.  We would have been sitting in Denver 8 months into the transition with double the mortgage and two less jobs.

The moral of the story for me as a spouse pondering relocation?  Keep an open mind, take the trip, see the big picture, and at the end of the day, go with your gut.  Especially if the boss insinuates that your gut is large...

Editor's Note - Angela Dunn is a career prosecutor now serving a "sabbatical" as a copy editor for Fistful of Talent and the HR Capitalist.  She thinks most of the FOT team is extremely talented, but the lead guy needs to work on his spelling, punctuation and listening skills.  In a gender-related twist, she understands every NFL, NBA, and MLB reference the Capitalist makes, which balances out the relationship nicely. 

Relocation - Why Marketing to the Spouse Is The Key...

I love Seattle.  Love, Love, Love it!  I can't imagine why someone wouldn't jump on an opportunity to have someone else pay them to move here, to a great city, to be working for a great company.

Oh, wait...you and your wife just had twins and you live remarkably close to your in-laws who are getting "up there" in age and you would hate to take their only grandchildren away from them. 

Ummm...what if I throw in a sign-on bonus?

Working for a large corporation, I am constantly recruiting people from all over the country, and even all over the world.  Our relo package is amazing.  I rarely have a hard time convincing people that we can make their relo as easy as possible.  Good salary, good benefits, and you don't really have to worry about your move...we'll take care of it.

The challenge doesn't come there.  It comes when we try to convince the family.  A family that has roots in its current location.  Perhaps grandparents nearby, familiar schools, and a sense of comfort. 

In these circumstances, as much time as you spend talking about the company, you have to take just as much time, if not more, talking about the locale.  What is there to do?  Arts?  Sports?  Even if you have a losing baseball team that is way worse than its payroll implies, you can still talk about the awesome ballpark.  And, also...particularly important for families with kids...schools.  You need to package everything together so that the opportunity itself, combined with a great new physical location, is a product that can convince the entire family that the change is good for everyone.

Really show the candidate how serious you are about signing him by offering to bring the entire family out for a few days to take in the town themselves.  Send them on a tour of the city, of the schools.  Have a real estate agent show them some houses on the market.

What about a job for the spouse?  Relocation for one job can be stressful, enough.  But, if a two income family needs to become a one income family, it's in the best interest of all involved to find a new, local job for the spouse, as well.  Work that network, recruiters!  Reach out to your colleagues.  What does that spouse do?  A qualified person that doesn't require the company to pay relocation (we're already paying for it) should be appealing to any recruiter. 

It's not going to be easy.  There are a lot of factors that candidates need to take into consideration just on their own.  We spend so much time focusing on what appeals to them.  How often are candidates lost because their family doesn't want to make the move? 

That happens all the time.  Don't forget to market to the spouse and family if you expect to close the deal.

Editor's Note - Jason Pankow is a Senior Recruiter for Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE and Xbox Software groups.  Jason supports the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, bringing in technical, as well as creative, talent to Redmond.  Look him up on Xbox Live, where he'll ring you up for a triple-double as Steve Nash on NBA 2K8 or kick it old-school via a 7-digit score on Galaga...

Livin' on a Prayer... A Pulled Offer Means You're Less Than "Half-Way There"...

They say "Good things come to those who wait - but only the things left by those that hustle". Then there's a more modern day saying that "If is smells bad - it usually is bad".

The final chapter of my candidate "in waiting/start date 9 weeks out" post is now officially in the books, and it goes down as one of the greatest train wrecks in the search business I have personally ever witnessed. Remember the epic train wreck scene in the 1993 version of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford?  It was sort of like that scene.

Let me reset the stage and take you back a couple of months (seems likes years at this point) to remind you of the scenario. The candidate's start date was nearly 90 days out from the offer/acceptance date so he could collect a much deserved bonus in late Q3 in his current job. Once the offer was made and accepted, the family relocation trip was scheduled and went over very well - as planned. The family found and bought a home - actually ahead of schedule. The candidate's wife had the opportunity to visit the schools in the area and this excited and enthusiastic couple had already selected the moving company. The stage was set for the family's big day.

Then last week, just before the final countdown was to begin... my client decided to push the candidate's start date out 4- 6 months. OUCH!

I could hear the train tracks buckle under my feet.

As it turned out the company was being aggressively targeted for an acquisition by one of their largest competitors and due to SEC rules under REG-FD, nobody at the company was allowed to share any of this information with me, or my star candidate. They informed my candidate about the delay and he immediately bailed.  What an unbelievable end to a story that had so much potential. Oh well...

I am in the planning stages to have a priest visit my office next week with holy water. I have asked him to spend as much time as he needs to perform the complete and full blown exorcism.

My client called me last week and left several messages apologizing for what happened. I have not been able to return their call yet as I am currently out of the office and in an in-patient setting for therapy treatment. Unofficially, it's been diagnosed by healthcare professionals as "search-went-bad-shock syndrome".

Hey...that's the business we are in. Period. Regardless of how good you might think you are  - circumstances beyond your control will come into play - and all of a sudden, this business will humble you... again.

OK, enough is enough. It's off to the next search assignment...and I can assure you this too will pass. Let me repeat what I have said many times here at FOT - God, I love this business!!! 

Editor's Note - Tim Tolan is a partner at Sanford Rose Associates and specializes in Executive Search in Healthcare IT.  He's a closer, and you really don't want to call him unless you're ready to bring out the bazooka to bag some big game...               

A Start Date 9 Weeks Out Isn't Onboarding - It's Russian Roulette....

Tim Tolan did a post a few weeks back on a very exclusive search, one so exclusive that it resulted in an offer including a proposed start date 9 weeks out.   Not the way you want things to go, but the candidate pool was so exclusive (only the elusive purple squirrel need apply) that Tim's hand was forced:

"We got very creative with the client and candidate #1 and developed a list of "pre-on-boarding" strategies to keep him engaged for 9 weeks so he can collect his bonus, resign and begin his new career as the COO for my client. The real key to steeping out in faith on a deal like this - is to make sure you have a constant flow of activities to keep the candidate and the client company talking, meeting, working on projects, and starting the process of mentally preparing for the transition. The activities need to be engaging and, at minimum, have to occur every other week. Every week is even better if possible. You MUST keep them interested and excited while waiting for their start date! There are no options here!!!"

Couldn't agree with Tim more, given the circumstances.  Another thing that Tim looked sharp on - the need to stay connected with the candidate through that 9-10 week period.  You obviously just can't get acceptance of the offer, then say you'll see the candidate in two months.  You've got to keep them engaged, because if you don't, they'll end up forgetting why they were so high on your company to begin with, then they'll back out.

Here's the thing that bothered me a little bit.  In the comments, Tim got justified kudos for the strategy to try and keep the candidate engaged.  The problem is that a lot of the commenters were calling the strategy onboarding or pre-onboarding. 

Valued Commenters - allowing 3-4 weeks before reporting, instead of 2, requires "onboarding".  Staying in touch with a candidate who has a start date 9 weeks out isn't onboarding - it's Russian Roulette.  Tim's doing what he needs to do to try and land a purple squirrel, but it's not where you want to be.

Ask Mike Dunleavy, a coach in the NBA who, around the same time Tim wrote his post, lost an All-Star to another team.  Dunleavy thought he had a handshake deal with Elton Brand, went out and got the player Brand wanted for the team (pre-onboarding!!), then Brand left.

From the clip - "he gave his word on a deal, the whole package was great... for whatever reason he changed his mind"

Probability of an employee actually joining your company goes way down any time a report date stretches beyond a month.  Tim knows that, but it's the purple squirrel syndrome.  Here's hoping Tim doesn't feel like Mike Dunleavy at the agreed-upon start date.

My Candidate's Start Date? Like Bon Jovi, I'm Living On a Prayer...

I'm dying here... let me explain. We were retained to find a COO for a leading Nashville healthcare services company. Did I say niche player?  Didn't think so. That means there are NOT hundreds of people who meet the clients' requirements. We're talking about that elusive "purple squirrel". We launched the search with much fanfare (as usual) and started the profiling and sourcing process. It was painful... Really painful...

There are probably 3-4 people nationwide that met the requirements of this role and could do this job. Really! Guess what? We called and spoke to ALL 4 of them!!! Two in - and two out. Not bad - but remember...the talent pool is light for this unique skill set - not much we could do about that.

We screened and interviewed both candidates and my client L-O-V-E-D candidate #1. Candidate #1 liked them too! GREAT!!! So far so good.

They then met candidate #2. While he was very solid and met the criteria of the position profile, he was not the cultural fit they were looking for. So we're standing out on the "limb" for Mr. Wonderful (that's candidate #1) knowing we had to make this work.   

In our due diligence, we learned that candidate #1 blew the doors off his Fiscal 2007 plan and would be receiving a $300K bonus on September 1st.  WOW! Great news for him - and a challenge for me and my client.  Not sure if I also mentioned the relocation part of the equation?  Didn't think so...

We got very creative with the client and candidate #1 and developed a list of "pre-on-boarding" strategies to keep him engaged for 9 weeks so he can collect his bonus, resign and begin his new career as the COO for my client. The real key to steeping out in faith on a deal like this - is to make sure you have a constant flow of activities to keep the candidate and the client company talking, meeting, working on projects, and starting the process of mentally preparing for the transition. The activities need to be engaging and, at minimum, have to occur every other week. Every week is even better if possible. You MUST keep them interested and excited while waiting for their start date! There are no options here!!!

I'm thrilled that we were able to find this "needle in a haystack". I will be more thrilled when September 1st gets here.  Now - how many days are in July and August?

Wish me luck...      

Editor's Note - Tim Tolan is a partner at Sanford Rose Associates and specializes in Executive Search in Healthcare IT.  He's a closer, and you really don't want to call him unless you're ready to bring out the bazooka to bag some big game...