The Venmo of Recruiting

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I talked about this a few years ago, and I think it’s bound to catch on eventually.

So, Gen-X and older folks reading this, I probably need to explain what Venmo is. Venmo is an app that makes it super easy to send money to friends. It’s like PayPal but more social. When my three GenZ sons go out to eat, they don’t bother with cash. They just Venmo each other to split the bill. Got it?

In HR and recruiting, we often see tech companies calling themselves the “Tinder” or “Uber” of recruitment. But no one has claimed to be the “Venmo” of recruiting yet. So, I’m jumping on this idea before anyone else does!

Picture this: a mobile app that lets you see where your friends are interviewing, share information, contacts, questions, and reactions about your interview experiences.

Candidates can help each other find jobs, ask for connections at companies, and share insights about hiring managers.

To start, we’ll focus only on candidates, no employers. It will be free (backed by angel investors for the first three years duh!) aiming to hit 50 million users. Once we have a strong user base, we’ll add an employer section. Think of it like Glassdoor but better. Employers can see what people are saying about them and their jobs, but they can’t respond.

Employers will get a behind-the-scenes look at what candidates really think about their company, hiring managers, and the interview process. This info will be super useful for making improvements and highlighting what’s working well. Trust me! TA leaders will pay a lot for this kind of insider info and to see how things change over time.

For candidates, having a trusted network to share real information about interviews, jobs, and companies on a mobile app would be awesome. They can make better decisions and use their connections more effectively.

So, I’m excited to introduce the Venmo of Recruiting. We’re looking for angel investors! Immediately!

Surprise! HR’s Secret Weapon Revealed

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If there’s one piece of advice I could give a new HR Pro, it would be this: no matter how prepared you think you are, you really only need to prepare yourself for one thing—being surprised.

You don’t really get judged on your daily stuff. Let’s face it, 99.9% of the time, your routine tasks go off without a hitch. Handling payroll, organizing training sessions, and managing employee benefits are important, but they usually follow a predictable pattern.

What sets you apart, and what you are truly judged on, is how you handle the unexpected.

Surprises make and break great HR Pro careers.

There’s only one way to prepare for surprises—you need to expect that a surprise will always happen. That one employee you can’t lose or the entire project will blow up? Be prepared to lose them. Talk about it, plan for it, and basically accept that it will happen. Conducting risk assessments and having backup plans can help, but mentally preparing yourself is just as crucial. Then, when it does happen, you’ll be the only one not surprised by it.

The best HR Pros I’ve worked with had this one common trait: they were unshakeable when surprised, almost like they expected it. They had a knack for staying calm and composed, no matter the crisis. Whether it was a sudden resignation, an unexpected legal issue, or a last-minute change in company policy, they handled it with ease.

Expect the unexpected, and you’ll not only survive in the HR world, but you’ll also thrive.

LOL Worthy 4th of July Tees

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This oldie but a goodie HAD to be re-ran this year. I don’t make the rules.

4th of July funny t-shirts! (Warning – prepare to be offended!)

So, basically, in America, we celebrate our independence by grilling hot dogs, drinking beer, blowing stuff up, and buying t-shirts that somehow make us feel more patriotic than we really are. In recent years, the 4th of July t-shirt game has been getting very serious! Here are some of the ones that make me laugh!

Okay, this last one just made me laugh, but it mostly has nothing to do with the 4th of July, mostly…

Happy 4th of July, my friends!

Give Me The Guac!

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Think about ordering a burrito. Adding guacamole for just an extra dollar makes it so much better. That small addition turns a good meal into a great one.

Sure, I could enjoy the burrito without guacamole. It would still be tasty and satisfying. But with that extra touch, it becomes memorable.

So, give me the guacamole!

This idea works for candidate experience too. While you could spend a lot on fancy perks, sometimes a small, thoughtful addition can make a big difference. Just like the guacamole, a little effort in the right place can greatly improve the overall experience.

The key is to master the basics first. Candidates appreciate simple, effective communication. They care less about a branded pen or a bottle of water if they don’t get timely updates about their interview status.

When you handle the essentials well, small gestures stand out even more. Personal touches like a follow-up call or a thank-you note can leave a lasting impression. These small enhancements show candidates that you value their time and effort.

Candidates don’t need extravagant treatments to feel appreciated. What they really want is a thoughtful, well-executed experience – the guacamole on their burrito. By focusing on the basics and adding small, meaningful touches, you can create a standout candidate experience that doesn’t break the bank. And tastes good!

Feedback? No Thanks!

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In honor of SHRM24 this week, this Re-Run Friday is all the way from 2015.

Live from #SHRM15 – We All Just Want Attention

Monday’s big keynote speaker was the ever popular Marcus Buckingham.  Marcus has the great English accent, high energy and great leadership content to share. He’s strong every time I’ve seen him, going on way too many times at this point in my life!

The big bomb he dropped on the SHRMies this session was the money-shot quote of the conference: Millennials don’t want feedback!

We’ve all been told by thought leaders and Millennial experts for a decade that all Millennials want is feedback and work-life balance!  They don’t want money or power or ice in their beer.  Just feedback and time off.  Marcus put a stop to all of this, and had the data to back it up!

In reality, Marcus told us the truth.  Millennials, and the rest of us, don’t want feedback, we all want attention. Pay attention to us!  Stop by frequently and see how we are doing, give us some insight to our near future, help us get our jobs done.  But, please, don’t give us feedback on what we are doing wrong!

No one wants that.  The whole reason performance reviews fail is because they don’t deliver what we truly want, attention, not feedback.  So, our “HR” answer to this is to do what?!? Let’s do more frequent, smaller, feedback sessions! NO!

Unfortunately, this is going to be big old Titanic to turn around.  The wheels have been in motion to long to stop what we’ve already started.  HR technology platforms and your processes are already in place. Your managers have already been trained, and now you want us to stop?!?

Basically, yes.

Those organizations with high engagement are not the ones who are giving more feedback. They are the ones who are paying more attention to their employees.  Yes, there is a difference.

This is fraught with issues for most HR pros and organizations because it feels a little pie in the skish.  There is an assumption that you pay attention to your employees and they’ll just magically do what they’re supposed to do, and we live happily ever after, cats and dogs living together.

We know that isn’t reality.

Some employees need to be managed to get the most out of them.  They need to be held accountable. I do think there is a balance that we can get to when it comes to paying attention to our employees, like they want, and being able to ‘manage’ them like the business needs.

Managers need to know that even with those employees they’ve worked with for a long time, it’s critical that they don’t stop paying attention to what they’re doing, professionally and personally. Also, our employees need to understand that, yes, we care about you, but that doesn’t mean you can just not perform the job you were hired to do.

I don’t need engaged employees that don’t do the job they were hired to do. I want engaged, productive employees.  It’s all about balancing your approach, and I love that Marcus put to bed the concept that Millennials just want feedback!

You are Overqualified!

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Navigating the job market can be tough, especially when you hear things that don’t make sense. One common thing HR peeps say is: “You are Overqualified!” Respectfully – shut up! No, I am not!

The truth is, no one is ever really ‘overqualified’ for a job. You might have more skills and experience than the job needs, but that’s not the real issue. The real issue is that the interviewer might be scared because you’re better at the job than they are.

For a long time, HR and hiring managers have been taught to say candidates are overqualified to hide their own fears. They say, “We won’t hire you because you’re overqualified and might leave soon because you’ll be unhappy.” But the real fear is that your talent might make them look bad.

This idea has been around for ages and people just believed it without questioning it.

Having more qualifications should be seen as a good thing. Companies should be eager to hire highly skilled people. These days, expecting someone to stay in the same job for 40 years is unrealistic. Getting a talented person to stay around for even 3 or 4 years is great.

Companies should try to hire the best people for every job and let them do their best work. Worrying about whether they’ll stay for a long time shouldn’t be a big concern. Just focus on using their skills and letting them make a difference.

The real problem is that some hiring managers are afraid to hire people who are better than them. This fear is bad for the company. To get better, companies need to hire better people.

Creating a culture that values and welcomes top talent is important. This not only improves the company but also makes it a place where people want to work. Avoiding the mistake of hiring less qualified people ensures that your company stays competitive.

In the end, the idea of being ‘overqualified’ is just a myth. Hire great talent, let them do their thing, and watch your company grow.

Is Eating a Banana at Work a No-No?

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Re-Run Friday is back again – this post originally was posted in June 2015.

What Not To Eat: Work Edition

We are constantly bombarded in the media about what we should be eating and what we shouldn’t be eating. Just last week the FDA came out with it’s new ban on Transfats starting in 2018.  While this is a good thing for the health of our society, it’s just one example of how we are being told what to eat and what not to eat.

While I don’t want to get into an argument here about whether or not you should be eating more protein, or fruits and vegetables, etc. I do want to give you some insight into foods you just should never eat at work.  Here’s my list:

1. Bananas.  No one wants to say it, so I will. There’s no good way to eat a banana at work and not have some fourteen year old comment come out. Male or female, eating a banana just isn’t a good look for anyone at the office.  I know, I know, you just break off small pieces and it’s fine.  It’s not. Stop it. Eat that home before coming in. (Also see: Twinkies, foot long hot dogs, those cream filled long john donuts, a full carrot)

2. Beanitos Chips.  The name pretty much tells you why.  Really, any “Beanito” product isn’t a good office product if you’re within fifty yards of a co-worker.  Yeah, they taste great, I’ll give you that!  But, an hour down the road we hate you, and that Fabreeze isn’t helping.

3. Sushi.  I love sushi.  The one problem with sushi is similar to bananas, you have to open your mouth so wide that you look gross eating it!  Sushi is a bad date food of choice as well, it’s just not a good look.  Any time you have to shove something the size of a golf ball into your mouth in one bite, you’re in trouble.

4. Raman Noodles. Again, love noodles, but I don’t want to see or hear you eating them. The slurping of noodles, while respected in Asian countries, is not respected in my office.  I don’t want to hear you eat, or slurp.

5. Anything cooked in the microwave in the break room that stinks up the entire place. Usually, this means fish. While it tastes great, fish does not smell good warmed up, and lingers.  I actually have a policy in our employee handbook at HRU that if you cook fish in the microwave you get fired.

6. Microwave Popcorn.  I actually love the smell of fresh popped popcorn! I worked in movie theaters growing up and can kill a large bucket by myself. The problem is, most people can’t quite grasp the concept of cooking popcorn in a microwave.  You have to watch it, listen for it. You have about a three second window to get it out before you have incinerated microwave popcorn. You just can’t push the “popcorn” button on the microwave and walk away, that is a recipe for disaster!

7. Any Vegan Food that looks like poop. Vegan’s know what I’m talking about. Let’s face it, most vegan food is gross and tastes like dirt, but God bless those people, they’ll probably live a lot longer than I! Like into those great 90s and 100s years! Yeah, can’t we all wait for those years…

What are the foods you don’t think people should eat at the office? Are bananas really a no-no? Hit me in the comments!

*Shoutout to Jacks in my office for the idea for this post!

Thinking Like a Killer Can Save Your Business

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A few years ago at some conference I was at, Adam Grant, author of “Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World,” gave a talk that really stuck with me. He asked a question that stood out: “How will you kill your business?”

Me? What!? Kill my business? How?

The idea is to get your company’s leaders to think about every possible way they could ruin the business. Write down the ideas, talk about them, and brainstorm. It’s often easier and more effective than asking, “How will you save this business?”

When you ask people to come up with ways to improve or save the company, you usually get the same old ideas and not much innovation. But when you ask them how they could wreck it, you’ll be amazed at the creative ideas they come up with.

This exercise shows the real threats and pressures your company faces. It’s a great way to get everyone thinking. And scared. (Or excited… I guess!)

People who normally don’t have much to say suddenly get really involved when talking about how they could harm the company. These are often things they worry about but don’t share because they don’t want to seem negative. This exercise gives them a chance to speak up.

Talking about how to kill the business also opens up more creative thinking about how to save it. The solutions need to be just as imaginative. It’s important to be open to these ideas instead of sticking to a failing plan just to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.

When you think about how to sabotage your business, ideas come quickly. But when you ask yourself how to save it, it’s harder. This shows we need to train ourselves and our teams to think differently.

We often take ideas about saving the company less seriously than ideas about sabotaging it. Both are important. A company can fail just as easily as it can succeed if leaders are open to listening to all ideas without judgment.

Relying on just one idea to save the company can be risky. It’s important to have a variety of strategies.

So, how will you kill your business? By thinking like a business killer you can spot hidden threats and come up with new ideas to help your company succeed.

Do Great Things

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I’ve found the next great trick in HR to become world-class!

You might think I’m referring to the latest AI innovation, a revolutionary staffing solution, or a groundbreaking website set to transform the HR industry. But what if the secret to becoming world-class in HR isn’t about the newest tech1 at all?

We live in an era obsessed with quick fixes and instant results. Everyone wants the magic pill for effortless weight loss or the shortcut to professional success. I want it! In a world where we want everything instantly, it’s annoying when even the best AI can’t figure out what we need before we do.

So, what’s the ultimate strategy for HR greatness?

Surprisingly, the key to outstanding HR has always been straightforward: do great work. All the time!!

Often, it’s just one dedicated person who believes in an idea, cares about it, and keeps pushing forward. Rusty Rueff says it best: “Make big changes to big things.” Great HR is all about always aiming for excellence, no matter what.

To really succeed, create a culture where excellence is normal. Don’t let anyone in your organization stop you from aiming high. Work to make your HR department known for outstanding work.

The real secret to great HR isn’t a trick at all. It’s about hard work, sticking with it, and always aiming for greatness. So, focus on doing great things and then keep doing more great things. Be the one who drives amazing results in your organization. That’s the real way to master HR.

Ready for Change? Think Again!

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I get asked a lot of advice on talent and HR issues people are facing.

Many of these questions are about fixing things that aren’t working well in their HR or Talent departments. “How do we get more applicants?” “How do we get managers to develop their people?” “How do we deal with our unpredictable CEO?”

In the past, I would jump right in with quick solutions. I’d spend five minutes giving advice without knowing much about their specific situation. It’s fun sure, but it’s not always helpful.

I’ve changed my approach.

I realized that my quick fixes were based on my experiences, not theirs. What worked for me might not work for them.

Now, I start by asking one important question: Do you really want to get better?

Do you really want to change?

Most people quickly say, “Yes!” But then, after thinking for a moment, they might pause and start to explain, showing they aren’t really sure they want to change.

This hesitation is powerful!

We often think that getting better is always the goal, but sometimes, staying the same is just fine. The return on investment might not be worth it.

We tend to focus on fixing problems, believing they need to be solved. But in reality, we can continue doing great HR work without making unnecessary changes. It might seem like the next big issue to tackle, but sometimes, it’s better to leave it alone and focus on something else.

Often, HR and Talent professionals find that those around them aren’t really interested in improving. This realization can save them from a lot of frustration. It’s better to wait until everyone is genuinely ready to get better.

So, before you try to fix everything, ask yourself: Do you, or do those around you, really want to get better? Hopefully, the answer is “Yes!” But if not, remember, the world will keep turning, and so will you.