Attracting And Managing The RIGHT People For Your Business!
New Australian workplace laws have broadened the definition of “coercion and misrepresentation” and lowered the tests by which it may be established that an employer coerced or misrepresented their circumstances to an employee in the process of terminating them.
In simple terms, it’s now riskier than ever for an Australian employer (especially one hot under the collar) to terminate even an unsatisfactory employee. Add to that situation the fact that, under The Fair Work Act, a union can now seek an injunction in the Federal Court or Federal Magistrates Court to prevent dismissal of an employee, and that the burden of proof has been reversed so that the employer must prove that they did not breach the act, and the employing-people stakes just got a whole lot higher.
Later in this piece I’ll share my absolute, no-hassles strategy to getting the wrong people off your bus without a ripple, but first let’s at how to stop them sneaking aboard in the first place!
Preventative Maintenance
In Good to Great Jim Collins stated that great companies seemed to get all of a small number of key factors just right and he began his list with the fact that they had leaders of low personal ego but high passion for pursuing their (Company’s) vision and upholding its values (two things about which I’ve written much in the past).
Second on Collin’s list was to “get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats,” so let’s start with the first part of that process:
Getting the Right People on the Bus
You could write a book about this, and in fact we have – calling it ‘Solving the People Puzzle’ – but in the space available to us let’s look at a couple of techniques that might help you next time you go headhunting.
Find or Attract Good People
Break this process down into the following steps:
1. Create a list of the characteristics and capabilities of the people you want on your team.
2. Write out a list of the reasons why your ideal employee would want to work for you.
3. Create a profile of your perfect next employee.
4. Write a personal letter to them, selling them on exactly why they’d be better off working for you.
5. Transfer your personal letter to a page on your website (here’s a real-life example).
6. Add a request to download an Information Outline you’ll need from them (we’ll show you how to avoid “CV-Overload”).
7. Dream up a catchy advertisement headline – “Career Opportunity – Finally Get Paid What You’re Worth!” and then add your new page link (e.g., www.mybusiness.com/position.html) as the only text below the headline.
8. Print your headline and the link on a card or page and hand it out to your best staff, telling them you’re looking for someone just like them, and asking them to find you someone. Throw in a $500 bonus for a successful referral.
9. Print the whole letter, with the link at the bottom and give it to every customer and supplier you can. (Imagine the impression you are creating when they read the list of attributes and skills you are looking for – this is marketing AND it could find you an ideal new team member).
10. If you still don’t have the candidate you’re looking for, publish your headline-and-link advertisement. It will be low cost, so you can spread it around and still stay within budget.
Get Their Own Words
Remember the Information Outline in step 6? You’re going to ask for exactly the information you want and no more, and you’re going to ask for it in their handwriting!
Let’s face it, 60% of Resumes are written by someone other than the applicant, and sometimes by a Professional Resume Writer! Let’s get the real thing, and let’s make sure it entails some effort, attention to detail and commitment – all things we are looking for in an ideal employee. Since the folk you want aren’t stupid, it would be wise to tell them why you are taking this approach.
One of the items you will ask for is an employment history from their first job to their last detailing months as well as years, and with no omissions. You don’t want an edited or sanitised version – you want the truth in this very important area.
Do a Clayton’s Interview
When your candidates turn up as appointed, apologise for the fact that the other person on the interview panel (always have two or more in on the selection process) has been called away, and tell them you’ll have to reschedule. Then, suddenly struck by the realisation that you have been hanging out for a coffee for the last hour, ask them if they would join you.
Lead the conversation that ensues with open questions. Be relaxed, genuinely engaged and interested (this could be your next great team member) and let them talk.
You’ll be amazed at the number of people who shoot themselves in the foot at this early stage, saving you the cost of a more formal interview.
Due Diligence
Checking the background of prospective employees can present a legal minefield in these days of privacy laws, but there are a few simple strategies that you can use to get the results you need.
Firstly, ask for the full contact details of every past employer. You’re not going to go back one or two jobs, you’re going back ten – or all the way!
Next, ask your short list candidates to arrange for you to talk with their past employers. Provide them with a list of your available times and dates and give them authority to arrange appointments with them for you.
This step is likely to weed out any second-rate candidates on the spot. It is also likely to prompt explanations in advance from those who may have suffered personality conflicts in past positions. How they present their side of the story will tell you a lot about their personality, character and ethics.
For more information on ‘getting the wrong people of the bus’ see our other blog posts.
