Category Archives: Communication

SHRM – Think Small, Act Small

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For anyone who reads my blog you know I have healthy love-hate relationship with SHRM.  I need to explain this relationship because so often people tell me to just forget about SHRM and move on with my life – sort of like you would with an ex-girlfriend.  The problem is I don’t love SHRM like an ex-girlfriend; I love SHRM like someone loves golf or basketball.  It’s the kind of love that when you hit a great shot in golf you love the game, then the next shot you hit into the water, and you hate the game, but you keep coming back each week to play again.

I don’t want to give up on SHRM, I want SHRM to be what I need it to be as someone who loves the profession of HR.  So, here’s what I need from SHRM.  I need SHRM to act small.  I need SHRM to act like a niche organization.  I need SHRM to stop trying to be all things to all HR Pros. 

You know what happens when you’re big and you act big?  You become vanilla.  You become Chevy.  You become something a bunch of people will buy, but no one truly loves.  People put up with you, they don’t reach out for you.  You’ve become the necessary evil within the profession.

The million dollar question is, than, what does that look like or how does SHRM do that – smaller?

Trying to be all things to all people kills almost every single company and organization, eventually.  It might take 10 years, it might take 100 years, but eventually someone else will come along and be the company or organization a person is looking for.  It will feel special.  It will feel exclusive (like me having an SPHR).  SHRM tries to be a one-stop shop for all things HR, and as such the majority of the development and material teaches to the lowest common denominator.  

Go above ‘best practice’ – reach for ‘ground breaking’.  Have a goal to ‘Wow’ the membership with such insight it blows them away.   In the end, other professional organizations should be reaching out to you on how they can do the same for their professionals.  Go beyond HR 101 and show HR Pros the importance of leading and running the business.  I want my SHRM to lead the transformation of HR, not be part of old HR that is joked about across industries.

Also, I want my SHRM to have a little bit of a sense of humor!  SHRM, have you attended a conference outside of HR?  Holy mother of Francis you guys take yourself seriously!  Lighten up – we’re the people, people.  It’s alright to make fun of our profession, that’s an easy way to have some open and honest discussion on how to change.   One last thing – stop allowing boring people to speak at conferences!  Here’s how you select a great lineup – you must educate and entertain (not or, it’s ‘and’), you must give the audience something they can use tomorrow in their HR shop and it wouldn’t hurt if these great speakers had red hair and lived in DeWitt, MI.

3 Reasons You’ll Never Be Fully Staffed

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For any HR/Talent Pro who lives with the concept of staffing levels – becoming ‘fully staffed’ is the nebulous goal that always seems to be just out of arms reach.  I’ve lived staffing levels in retail, restaurants, hospitals, etc.  I know your pain – to be chasing that magic number of ’37 Nurses’ and almost always seeming like you’re at 35 or 36, the day that #37 starts, one more drops off…

There are 3 main reasons you can’t get fully staffed:

1. Your numbers are built on a perfect world, which you don’t live in.

2. Your hiring managers refuse to over-hire.

3. Your organization actually likes to be under staffed.

Ok, let me explain.

The concept of being fully staffed is this perfect-case scenario – a theory really – in business that there is a ‘perfect’ amount of manpower you should have for the perfect amount of business that you have at any given moment.  That’s a lot of perfects to happen all at once!  Usually your finance team comes up with the numbers based on budgeting metrics.  These numbers are drawn down to monthly, weekly, daily and hourly measures to try and give you precise number of ‘bodies’ needed at any given time.  You already know all of this.  What you don’t know is why this type of forecasting is so broken when it comes to staffing.

These models are predictive of having a fully functioning staff to meet the perfect number needed.  Fully trained, fully productive, etc.  If the model says you need 25 Nurses to run a floor, in reality you probably need many more than that.  Finance doesn’t like to hear this because they don’t want to pay 28 Nurses when the budget is for 25 Nurses.  You’re in HR, you know the reality – staffing 25 Nursing openings (or servers, or assembly workers, or software developers, etc.) takes more than 25 Nurses.  You have Nurses who are great and experienced and you have ones who are as green as grass -you have ones retiring in a few months, some taking leave, some leaving for other jobs, etc.  Because of this you have a budget for overtime – why? – because you need coverage.  This why you need more than 25.  And the staffing levels argument goes around in circles with finance.

I’ve worked with some great finance partners that get the entire scenario above – and would let me hire as many people as I felt I needed – and it still didn’t work!?  Hiring managers struggle with one very real issue – what if.  What if, Tim, we do get all 28 hired and now I only have needs for 25?  What will we do?!  Even when you explain the reality, they will subconsciously drag their feet not to hire just in case this might actually come true.  I’ve met with HR/Talent Pros from every industry and all of them share very similar stories.  They can’t get fully staffed because of what little stupid ‘perfect’ concept – “what if we actually get staffed!”  That’s it.

You can’t get staffed because you actually might get staffed!  If you’re fully staffed hiring managers are now held accountable to being leaders.  If you’re fully staffed, plus some extra, hiring managers have to manage performance and let weak performers go.  If you’re fully staffed – being a hiring manager actually becomes harder.  When you’re under staffed everyone realizes why you keep a low performer, why you allow your people to work overtime they now count on as part of their compensation and can’t live without.  When you’re under staffed everyone has an excuse.

You’ll never become fully staffed because deep down in places you don’t talk about at staffing meetings you like to be under staffed, you need to be under staffed.

 

 

3 Ways Companies Can Help Moms and Themselves

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In about 2 weeks my 3 sons will be off of school for the summer.  That means my wife will lose her mind for the next 12 weeks as she has 3 smelly bodies running in and out of the house all day, lying around and doing what boys do – which at this point I think entails: eating, leaving their stuff lying around, eating, watching TV/Playing Ebox, eating, texting, eating, sleeping, eating, repeat.   I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I don’t understand the American public education system any longer.  When I was a kid I loved it – 3 months off of school during the only time in Michigan that is nice! What a great plan!  As a parent/adult I ceased believing this is a wise plan.

Will someone please explain to me why in 2013 we need to have kids off of school for 12 straight weeks?

Here are the answers I get:

– We need the kids to work the crops! (Not since 1930 was this a real reason!)

– We need the kids to work at the resorts for the tourism industry! (No you don’t – you need the kids off school so parents will take their kids on vacation and spend money at your resorts)

– Kids need a break to let their brains reboot! (I won’t even justify this with a response.)

Here’s the real answers:

– The Teachers Unions won’t negotiate a full year schedule because teachers love having the summers off.

– Some parents are stuck in this 1950’s notion that their kids need 12 weeks off in a row, because they got it, so should their kids. (Do you see the pattern of entitlement beginning to take place…)

– Politicians don’t have the guts to do the right thing, so they stick with what is currently in place, even though it was developed over 80 years ago when their was an actual need to have kids off during the summer months.  (This reason could be used for most of what ails America.)

So, here’s what I know: Having kids home for 12 straight weeks sucks for families.  Childcare is a nightmare – many kids forced to stay home by themselves or under watched, plus the additional cost is bad for families.  Kids unlearn way too much during this time off, forcing reeducation at the beginning of each year – which wastes time and resources.

What can ‘we’ do it about since politicians refuse to do anything about it?  I think companies can solve this.  There are some issues companies have with America’s education system right now.  Companies feel kids are prepared for the workforce, don’t have work ethic, aren’t being taught work-related skills, etc.  Instead of waiting around for the world to change – I think America Corporations can change the world ourselves.  Here are 3 things companies can do to help out Moms and help out themselves:

1. Job Corp.  Yep, good old fashion put kids (14 yrs old and above) to work learning and training on skills companies will need in the future.  No, I’m not talking about child labor – I’m talking about starting kids out in an environment where they go to work with their parents and learn how to actually work.  Want to see some real change in America?!  Imagine having to take your 15 year old with you to work each day for 12 weeks!  Take your child to work – Everyday!  That’s Big Change!

2. Community volunteer programs. Companies rotate paid sabbaticals for the 12 weeks where the company workers lead teams of kids on community based projects.  Help elderly fix up their homes, clean up parks and waterways, beautify our cities, clean up vacant lots, etc.  Can you imagine the change that would happen if for 30-40 hours per week, for 12 weeks all of the kids 8 years and up in America were working across the country volunteering?!  That is unimaginable change!

3. Change Public Education.  Corporations need to strongly voice their displeasure with the current public school scheduling, and demand a change.  Full year schedules. Longer days.  Kids will still get time off – just spread those weeks around the year where it makes better sense to learning.  This can be done.  We just have to let politicians know this by not funding their campaigns if they won’t support this change.

What would you do to help out families facing the annual summer break?

The #1 Cause of Bad Hires

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A while back I interviewed a lady that would make a great recruiter. She was high energy, great on the phone, could source and an HR degree.  She applied for the job we had open for a recruiter and 100% positive she would have accepted the position, if I would have offered it.  I didn’t.  She wasn’t a ‘fit’.  The job she truly wanted, her ‘dream’ job, was in straight HR, not recruiting.  She was willing to recruit – she really didn’t want to recruit.  We walked away from a terrific candidate.  Poor job fit is the #1 reason most people fail at a job.

Organizations spend so much time and resources ensuring they’re hiring the right skills, but most totally fail when it comes to organization and job fit.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy to determine organizational fit.  Sure you can design an assessment, do peer interviewing, etc. But it always seems like a moving target, and it is.  Job fit also has multiple components:

1. The job you have open.

2. The company culture.

3. The job the candidate actually wants to do.

4. The job the candidate is willing to do and how good of an actor they are to prove to you that is the real job they want.

5. Your inability to see your perception of the candidate and their perception of themselves doesn’t align.

How many of you have ‘Poor Job Fit’ as a reason for termination on your exit interview form?  My guess is almost none.  Most managers and HR pros will list things like: performance, personality conflict, attitude, low skill set, personal reasons, schedule, etc.  We don’t want to use something like “Poor Job Fit” because what that says is “We suck at our jobs!”  The reality is – probably 75% of your terminations are because of poor job fit.  You hired someone with the skills you wanted, but the job you have doesn’t use or need most of those skills.  The job you have doesn’t meet the expectation you sold to the candidate.  The job you have isn’t really the job the person wants.

Most organizations would be farther off to hire by fit, than by skills.  True statement.  HR pros hate to hear that – because it discounts a lot of what we do.  Job fit is the key to retention – not skills.  Find someone who wants to be a recruiter – and they probably be a decent recruiter.  Find someone with great skills who doesn’t want to be a recruiter – and they’ll be a terrible recruiter.  In almost every occupation where you don’t need professional certifications (doctor, lawyer, CPA, etc.) this holds true.  I know a great Accountant who never went to accounting school – better than anyone I’ve met you graduated from accounting school.  Some of the best teachers – never went to college to become a teacher – but they love teaching.

Do one thing for me the next time you interview a candidate for a job – ask them this one question:

“If you could have any job, in any location, what job would you select?  Why?” 

There answer doesn’t have to be the job they’re interviewing for to be the ‘right’ answer.  Their answer should be in line with what you’re asking them to do – or you’re going to have a bad fit – and either you will eventually be terminating them, or they will eventually be resigning.

The Frequent Flyer Candidates

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In the staffing game we have a group of folks we call “Frequent Flyers”.  Those of you who are in Talent Acquisition know these folks well.  Your ‘frequent flyers’ are those candidates who seem to stop by all the time – maybe not physically, but they keep cropping up.  Frequent Flyers are those candidates who you know by name.  “Oh, Charlie, is he still around?!”  It’s the candidates that no matter how many times you’ve had an opening – they just keep applying, just keep trying to get in with your organization, many times in positions they aren’t even qualified for.

Do you have some Frequent Flyers?

I know of companies who won’t even post positions because their frequent flyers are so aggressive in applying for the position that TA doesn’t even want to deal with it.  They would rather not let anyone know they have an opening, than to deal with their frequent flyers!  My company has actually worked positions for clients because they would rather pay me a headhunting fee than to deal with their frequent flyers.

So, how do you get rid of a frequent flyer?

I’ll give you three options:

1. Hire Them!   No, really.  At some point you have to think to yourself – “Holy smokes if my current employees only wanted to work here that much we would be in really good shape!”  But your frequent flyers have issues, that’s why you haven’t hired them.  One way I’ve found successful is to give a frequent flyer a list of things to accomplish before I’ll hire them.  Two things usually happen: 95% of the time, after giving them your list, you’ll never hear from them again; 5% of the time they’ll actually do it and make a better than average employee!

2. Brutal Honesty.  I don’t mean ‘brutal HR honesty’, I mean brutal to the point you don’t feel good about yourself honesty.  This is tough, but it’s better than dealing with a frequent flyer that you never plan on hiring.

3. Find them a job.  Sometimes it’s easier to find a frequent flyer a job with another company in town, than it is to deal with them.  Get their resume or application and float it out to HR folks around your area – you might get lucky and they’ll start stalking someone else!

What’s your best Frequent Flyer story?

 

2013 Grads – Here’s some advice from HR

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It’s that time of year when college and universities around the world will release onto us the great minds of the 2013 graduate class.  This always makes me think of the popular advice – Wear Sunscreen:

While this advice might be from 1999 – it still rings true today – but like everything else in the world this can be added to and expanded.  Here are my additions to the advice above for the 2013 grads from an HR Pro – listen up:

– Don’t buy into the fact that a paper resume is no longer needed.  Most people who are making hiring decisions are old – they like paper to hold onto while they asked you pointless questions that will tell them nothing about what you can do as an entry level candidate, it makes them feel comfortable.  White paper and black ink – don’t get creative – old people don’t like creative.

– Have a story when interviewing.  In almost every single interview process you’ll get a moment to tell your story.  People will hire your story, not your skills – because you don’t have any skills, but you might have a story.

– Over dress for your interview.  While you might feel out of place to their business casual, it shows people that you care about your appearance and that you’re trying to get this job.  They’ll laugh about you after, but they also appreciate the effort.  Don’t wear your Dad’s suit – that’s tacky – unless your Dad has extraordinary taste and wears your size.

– Don’t go to work if you’re not ready to go to work.  You can be young and poor only once in your life.  Then you get older.  Being older and poor, sucks.  Being young and poor is like being in college without classes.

– Big companies are cool for your resume, but do very little to teach you anything about running a business.  A small company will let you do more than you should.  Both experiences are valuable – don’t think one is more important than the other.  Too many new grads think big firm experience is key to success and crap on smaller companies – those people miss out and what it really takes to be an executive in the future.

–  If someone at your first job offers you a chance to get together after work as friends (drinks, softball, coffee, movie, etc.), do it – unless they’re creepy.  Having strong work relationships will move you forward in your career faster than your skills will.

–  Learn how to drink in moderation.  You’re not in college anymore and when you drink with work associates you need to be able to have a drink or two and be good.  Don’t become the office story about what not to do.  If you do by chance do this – find another job – you will never outlive this story.

– Don’t be the weird person in your office.  How do you know if you’re the weird person?  Do others invite you to lunch, or do you invite yourself?  Do people stop by your cube, or are you always stopping by everyone’s cube?  Corporate success depends on your ability to fit into the culture.  Companies like inclusion, as long as you fit into the ‘inclusion’ they’ve decided for their organization.

Good Luck 2013 Grads!

The Rules About Hugging At Work

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Hello. My name is Tim Sackett, and I’m a hugger.   Being a hugger can make for some awkward moments – what if the other person isn’t expecting a, or doesn’t want to, hug and you’re coming in arms-wide-open!?

Fast Company has an article recently titled: To Hug Or Not To Hug At Work? by Drake Baer, that delved into this subject.  Here’s a piece from the article:

“the uncomfortable feeling you get when you realize that your concept of your relationship with someone else doesn’t match their concept. The intensity of awkwardness roughly corresponds to the magnitude of difference in relationship concepts.”

I consider myself to have a number of roles: Husband, Dad, Coach, Boss, Friend, Coworker, etc.  In each of those roles I’ve hugged and will continue to hug.  Sometimes, though rarely, I’ll find someone who isn’t a hugger.  The first time I ever met Kris Dunn face-to-face, we’ve had known each other and talked frequently by phone for a year, at the HR Tech Conference – he was coming out of a session, I recognized him, he recognized me, and I went full ‘bro-hug’ (sideways handshake, other arm hug-back slap combo) on him, and I’m pretty sure he was caught off guard – but played along.  Kris is a closet hugger.  Jason Seiden, he’s a hugger.  So are Laurie Ruettimann and Dawn Burke.  I find Southern folks are huggers, more than Northern.  Western more than Eastern.  Canadians more than Americans.  Men feel much more comfortable hugging women than other men. Women will hug anything.

I thought it was about time we had some hugging rules for the office, so here goes:

The Hugging Rules

1. Don’t Hug those you supervise. (The caveats: You can hug a subordinate if: it’s being supportive in a non-creepy way (major family or personal loss – sideways, kind of arm around the shoulder, you care about them hug);  it’s at a wedding and you are congratulating them; it’s a hug for a professional win (promotion, giant sale, big project completion, etc.) and it’s with a group, not alone in your office with the lights off; you would feel comfortable with your spouse standing next you and watching that specific hug.)

2. Hug your external customers or clients when they initiate hugging sequence.  (The caveats: Don’t hug if: it is required to get business – that’s not hugging, that harassment. Don’t let hug last more than a second or two, or it gets creepy; Don’t mention the hug afterwards, that makes you seem creepy!)

3. Don’t Hug the office person you’re having an affair with in the office.  (no explanation needed)

4. Hug peers, not just every day. (It’s alright to hug, but you don’t need to do it everyday for people you see everyday. Save some up and make it special!)

5. When you Hug, hug for real. (Nothing worse than the ‘fake hug’!  A fake hug is worse than a non-Hug.)

6. Don’t whisper – ‘You smell good’ – when hugging someone professionally. (That’s creepy – in fact don’t whisper anything while hugging!)

7. Don’t close your eyes while hugging professionally.  (That’s weird and a bit stalkerish)

8.  It is alright to announce a Hug is coming. (Some people will appreciate a – ‘Hey! Come here I’m giving you a hug – it’s been a long time!’)

9. It’s never alright to Hug from behind.  (Creepier!)

10.  Never Hug in the restroom. (Make for awkward moment when other employees walk in and see that.)

11.  If you’re questioning yourself whether it will be alright to Hug someone professionally – that is your cue that it probably isn’t.

 Do you have any hugging rules for the office?

You Might Like Candidates With Hickeys

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I was sitting in my living room this past Mother’s Day watching the final moments of the PGA Player’s Championship which was won by Tiger Woods and thought to myself how much America loves stories about people who fall and get back up.  My teenage son was watching and cheering on Tiger, even though he is aware of Tigers many transgressions.  My wife, of course, refuses to cheer Tiger on and I look on with interest – as I’m sure many sports fans do.  My interest is to see how someone claws back to the top.  I not a Tiger hater or a Tiger lover – I consider myself an observer of a gigantic societal experiment.  How many people can one person offend, and then see how many he can win back – by winning.

I wonder if Tiger was not a Nike poster child and start athlete, if he was just your ordinary every day accountant, how we might treat him differently?  If Tiger, the CPA, came into your office and you knew of his past behavior, would you ever give him a chance to work at your company?  My guess is, the majority of HR pros would say – “No!”   “We don’t want that ‘kind’ of person working in our company.”  “He made personal choices, and now he should pay for them professionally.”

These are the same HR pros that when a talented employees comes to them, whose performance has recently slipped, and tells the HR pro, “I’ve got a drinking problem” – that HR pros will go to great lengths to help that employee find help.  To get them back on the ‘right’ path, and welcome them back to their workforce with open arms.  “But, Tim, Tiger didn’t ask for help, he got caught!  There’s a difference!”  Yes, you are correct – one sought help, one got caught.  That seems to be the fine line to whether we will give people a second chance in our country.

Come forward and admit your sins – and all if forgiven.   Don’t come forward and get caught – and live for eternity paying for your sins.  Both sinned.  Maybe the person who got caught was one day way from finally realizing it was their time to come forward, maybe they were two days away, who knows.  Such unequal treatment to some very similar end results of behavior.

Think about that when you interview your next candidate who has a hickey on their resume.  Tiger was the best ‘talent’ in the entire world at his profession.  Did something horrible.  Now is again the best ‘talent’ in the entire world at his profession.  We are smarter about who he is now – a highly talented golfer with flaws as a man.  We don’t look at him as a ‘role model’ or a ‘hero’ – and we probably never should have.

I think a lot of companies are probably missing out and some great ‘talent’ – that only needs a second chance.  Eyes wide open.  That recovery addict might be your next most talented employee you’ve ever hired.  She might also be a total bust.  I can live with a total bust – I’ve hired busts before.  I have a hard time walking away from truly talented folks because they have a hickey!

 

Exclusively Inclusive

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The CEO of clothier Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, made some comments in an article that have set off women across the world!  Here are some of the comments from the original article in Salon (By the way – the article is from January 2006! – but were brought to light by a local CBS news show looking to get reaction from women):

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

To keep this going Huffington Post Blogger, Sara Taney Humphreys, wrote an open letter to Jeffries last week on their website – A message to Abercrombie’s CEO from a former Fat Girl (remember this was response to an article from 7 years ago!):

“My first thought was… Is this for real? Am I reading an article in The Onion or something? No. Sadly, this quote was actually uttered by a supposedly educated and successful adult.

My second thought was… Does this guy have kids? By all accounts, the answer is no. Thank God. Can you imagine having this insensitive man as your father? Clearly, he doesn’t have children because if he did, I can’t fathom that he would do what he’s doing….Shame on you for perpetuating the bully on the playground mentality, in the online community and with our youth. The message you are sending is reprehensible and an appalling waste of an opportunity. You could have chosen to use your power and position to promote tolerance and love. Instead, you chose to promote and validate bullies. Your campaign is telling our young people that it’s perfectly acceptable to exclude someone because of the size of their body.”

Thousands of women responded to the comments the same way as Ms. Humphreys.  I’ll paraphrase the majority: “This guy is a jerk”, “He doesn’t get it”, “This is what’s wrong with America”.

I’ve never been able to wear A&F clothing – it’s not designed for me – short white guy, built like a fire hydrant.  I get it.   I wish I was a little bit taller, a bit skinner – but alas I’m comfortable with who I am and I’ve found stuff to wear.  I have 3 sons – not all of whom fit the body type of an A&F shopper – but they to have made it through life alright not wearing overpriced A&F stuff.  Because myself and my boys can’t fit into A&F clothing – I don’t think Mr. Jeffries is a monster.  I think he’s an opportunist, who saw a segment and filled it.  He wanted to attract a certain person to his establishment.  He did this knowing it might fail miserably – those cool kids with the skinny bodies – might have hated A&F clothes.  He took the risk of becoming exclusive and it paid off.  Capitalism.

Think about this example as an employment brand (and certainly A&F is an employment brand).  Do you want to be ‘Inclusive’ or ‘Exclusive’ in your Employment Brand?  I know the majority of you will say “Inclusive, of course!”  But a few will see the benefit of being ‘Exclusive’.  Being an exclusive employer will definitely shrink your candidate pool, but it will shrink your pool to your target market (Enterprise Rent-a-car goes after college athletes and has found great success in that pool).  If you like and have success with your target market – maybe an exclusive strategy is for you.  It’s too easy to say “Inclusion” is the answer to everything.  It’s not.

Finding Mr. Right Too Fast

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Here’s the scenario:

You have an opening and you do your recruiting thing.  You find a candidate and low and behold they are great!  What luck!? You think to yourself. The hiring manager is going to thrilled. Boy, my job is easy!

Do I need to even go on?

You set up the interview with the hiring manager.  She also thinks the candidate is great.  Done deal, you think to yourself.  Then ‘it’ happens.  The hiring manager, she does that thing they do, those hiring manager types, she says that statement we don’t want to hear:

“Let’s take a look at a couple more before we decide.”

Bam!

Just like that, this job went from being easy to being horrible!  You found her Mr. Right and now she wants to see two more Mr. Rights!  Doesn’t she know, Mr. Right only comes around once!?

Grizzled Recruiting Veterans know what I’m talking about.  Finding Mr. Right too fast is a killer.  So, how do you get around this?  There are two ways, neither of which is preferred over the other:

1. Hold Mr. Right and show them Mr. and Mrs. Wrong.  The problem with this is that while you’re messing around showing the hiring manager Mr. and Mrs. Wrong, Mr. Right might just find Mrs. Right Job for him and you’re done holding hands with Mr. and Mrs. Wrong – with a hiring manager saying “I want Mr. Right – Go find me Mr. Right!”

2. Present Mr. Right, and present Mr. and Mrs. Wrong soon after.  This works about 75% of the time if you have secondary candidates waiting to go – timing is everything with this.  Hiring Manager sees Mr. Right.  Wants to see who else might be on the market. You quickly show them Mr. and Mrs. Wrong.  Hiring manager makes quick decision to go with Mr. Right.

Either way getting a hiring manager to understand the market and what they have can sometimes be a sales job!  Too many hiring managers believe you can present them a slate of Mr. and Mrs. Rights!  When in reality you might know that you got lucky finding one Mr. or Mrs. Right – and the chances of finding more are slim to none.  Ah, hiring managers…you can’t live with them and you can’t legally shoot them.