Hire Power Radio Show

Latest Episodes:

Why Interview Training is so Critical in Today’s Hiring Market with Adam Stonehocker of Gemini Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

If hiring right is so critical to the organization, why is interviewing the one action that is entirely left up to chance? It has been my experience that virtually zero small companies invest in training their people how to interview.

This was the experience of an extremely successful executive, Jeff. Who at the C-level had only attended a one hour session of interview training in his whole career…. 10 years ago.

It is assumed that most leaders already know how to interview but the truth is that they don't. Most of us know how to talk skills and look for likable traits. But the process is riddled with bias and assumptions. Missing the evidence that is so critical in hiring the strongest person for the role.

Our guest today: Adam Stonehocker, Head of Sales at Gemini

Adam is the head of Sales at Gemini, a data visualization company that helps executives make key decisions involving their most important asset, their people. He has led sales teams for Peek, Google, Twitter, Pandora Radio, and AdRoll, EBay.

Adam has hired over 500 salespeople throughout his career and trained his leaders to interview with purpose.

Today we discuss:

Why you need to invest in training your people how to interview
How to train your people to interview effectively

There is a belief that there is no right way to interview and in the end it all comes down to “trusting your gut” and pulling the trigger... So wrong in every way!

Why don't companies invest in interview training?

Attrition was 20% per month with poor hiring
Team only hit 85% of goal for the year
Culture was terrible
- Top performers said “your hiring anyone who can breathe”

Why is this important to the company?

Without recognition & change top performers would have left
Interview team has no idea how to identify the right people,
You have to get the right people on the bus
Upper management not happy
Costs a lot of money when you have a leaky bucket

Rick’s Nuggets

Every company should prioritize training everyone who interviews for the company
Systems put in place maximize productivity & efficiency of your employees

How do we solve the problem?

Identifying core values & culture that you want to hire for
- Make sure everyone is on the same page
- Hiring managers, recruiters,
Structuring the Interview guide
- Gauging the competencies in the interview guide
- Coachable: Role play exercise to implement feedback from prior interviewer
Training
- Values we’re looking for
- Interview guide gauges those values or competencies
- Role playing with each other
- Using the interview guide as a script
- Feedback loop and discussion from the group
- Reps/future managers take part in calibration and interviews
Quarterly calibration
- Continually updating the interview guide
- Have your needs changed?
- Are there questions that aren’t pulling the right competency
- Problem questions that most people stumble on?
- Feel of the interview, is it intense or laid back and fun? Your interview feel should match your culture

Rick’s Nuggets

Write behavioral questions that uncover evidence to support your company values
Write follow up questions for deeper digging
Assign to each team member
Role play
Practice makes proficient
How did that work?

Key Takeaways :

Define your values/culture
- Everyone on the same page, looking for the right types of talent
- Only then can you ABR (Always Be Recruiting)
Structure your interview guide to gauge value competencies
Set up quarterly calibrations to refine interview guide, interview skills,
- This is where your team continually sharpens the saw,
- Feedback loop on interview process

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamstonehocker/

Websites: https://gogemini.com/

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Developing an Outward Hiring Mindset with Jonathan Domsky of Untangled Coaching Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Thinking about the people you hire as objects or obstacles to achieve your company goals is poison.

Often we venture into the hiring process with the mindset of “how can YOU help ME”. This is wrong in so many ways. Especially if your goal is to fuel the growth of the organization.

The truth is, the people you hire could care less about you and your goals. This is why people take your job simply for the paycheck and bounce at the first hint of trouble.

Understanding the other person’s pain & desires allows you to connect the dots, for both parties, of how they can bring maximum impact to their careers and the company.

Our guest today: Jonathan Domsky, Founder of Untangled Coaching

An entrepreneur since he was 24 years old, Jonathan uses many of the same tools as a traditional business coach—goal setting, accountability, best practices. But his purpose in life is teaching personal mastery.

Jonathan’s superpower is to distill this wisdom into practical, easy to understand, and simple to apply tools that will make your life more easy, meaningful, and joyous. To untangle the clutter in your business and life so that you can be your best, most authentic self. And most importantly—see a clear path on how to get from where you are right now, to living your beautiful future.

Today we discuss:

Why you need to change your hiring mindset
How to shift your mindset to fuel growth

Challenge today?

Hiring manager hires people who are not a good fit for the company.
Only thinking about what’s in it for me
Not long term

Why is this important to the company?

Behavior drives results. But what drives behavior? Training and incentives aren’t enough. The answer is mindset
Outward mindset is a tool, a lens, that gets everyone on the same page
Side steps personal issues to allow focus on the organization
It allows space to find solutions to things that aren’t working
Change success metrics (data point)

Rick’s Nuggets

Shift from listening to answer to listening to understand
Need to fill & ego drive hiring. Period
Result 51% bad hires

How do we solve the problem?

Seeing others as having needs, challenges & objectives of equal importance to our own
- First ask- what is needed?
- Remind yourself “am I doing what is in the best interest of all parties”
- Realize the impact that has been received by you in your career
- Can you state the top three goals and objectives of key coworkers?
- How does what you do affect other people in the organization?
Adjust efforts to actually help them
- Make a list of the objectives, needs, and challenges that belong to the people you impact in the organization--peers, manager, direct reports, candidates. If you aren’t 100% sure, ask them. Evaluate how you are helping these people accomplish their objectives, meet their needs, and face their challenges. Make a list of ways you can improve
- If the success metrics and incentives in your organization are inward, then an outward mindset is unlikely to have a lasting impact. Change those metrics so that they are focused less on what you do and what you get, and more on how what you do affects others
- What are your current metrics around Selection and Onboarding--do job descriptions and training simply describe what the employee is hired to do? Or does it also explain why they do what they do, and what is the desired impact?
- Reporting Practices--are they used to control and monitor or to empower?
- Incentives and Compensation and Performance Management--Are people rewarded for individual performance, or for accomplishing group goals?
- What are negative effects of inward thinking in these areas? What are ideas to approach this with an Outward mindset?
Measure results
- Check in to see that their needs were actually met. Adjust your efforts accordingly

Rick’s Nuggets

First- Understand what the business needs, not your ego
Second- Understand what the person needs for themselves
Third- Connect the dots
- Value load every challenge into the person’s desires and allow them to make an impact
Metrics: Time saved, interview experience

Key Takeaways -Value:

Are the success metrics in your organization inward or outwardly focused? How could you make them more outward focused in order to experience less drama and conflict?
Carefully consider this statement--As far as I’m concerned, the problem is me. I am the place to start.
Who is one person who needs more from me than I am currently giving? What more could I begin to contribute today? How could I know that my actions made their life easier?

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-domsky/

Websites: https://untangled-coaching.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.domsky

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtBAgyPKr5_-boeLjQWFGA

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

When to Hire Freelancers vs Full Time Talent with Shahar Erez of Stoke Talent Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

Do you really need a person full time or will a freelancer suffice? Often the need to get work done clouds our vision who we really need.

Ask yourself, “what does the business need?” and what is the timing in which the work needs to be done. When you need something quick, you most likely need a freelancer. But know that your explicit communication is the key to successful project completion.

Just don’t shortcut the selection process and hire those who get it, want it and can deliver results.

Our guest today: Shahar Erez, Co-Founder & CEO of Stoke Talent.

An experienced executive with solid engineering, product and marketing leadership backgrounds backed up by sound results. He has more than 15 years of experience in various management positions in a wide range of organizations building stellar teams and leading them to new levels of success in highly competitive markets.

Shahar has hired hundreds of Freelancers throughout his career and is here to share his expertise.

Today we discuss:

When to hire freelancers vs full time talent
Roadmap to how to most effectively hire freelancers

I struggle with the notion of hiring freelancers as I have time challenges in communication of expectations

Challenge today?

There was no flood in the market of talent
Cultural challenge
- Mental barrier
- Freelancers
Compliance & back office challenges

Why is this important to the company?

Get the right talent
Agility to move fast
Flexibility & budget control
Quick time to hire
Try before you buy

Rick’s Nuggets

Even freelancers need to align with your company values
- They are part of the culture
When values align & expectations are clearly defined the quality of work skyrockets

What is the process for hiring freelancers?

Open to the possibility of freelancers
- No strings attached
- Budget flexibility to get work done quickly
Training managers on what it is to manage & hire freelancers
- No need for a full interview
- Lower Expectations
- Very clear on deliverables- what to happen & when
Start with a 2 week project
- Define deliverables
- How to operate in the two weeks
- Clear communication- more important than full time employees

Rick’s Nuggets

Interviewing Freelancers

Must have a strong Discovery / Screening call - do not shortcut!
Understand the person’s pain, desire & impact
Why do they want the work??
Every person you add has an influence on culture
Do they get it, want it, and have the capacity to do the work? - Gino Wickman
Do not hire if they are just there for the paycheck

Key Takeaways -Value:

Number of independent contractors are growing and will make more than 50% of workforce within the next 5 years
Prepare your organization and leaders to operate within this new workforce composition model
You should treat this as strategic shift and get a platform to assure you are managing this correctly

Links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaharer/

Websites: https://www.stoketalent.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoketalent

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaharer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stoketalent

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

You Only Need to Interview One Person to Fill a Role with Jodi Brandstetter of Lean Effective Talent Strategist LLC Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

How many resumes do you need to see to fill a role? Let’s take it a step further. How many people do you need to interview to fill a role? If you guessed One, you are correct!

So, what is wrong with Gloria wanting to wait to interview other people before making a decision on the person that was just interviewed?.......Everything!

Waiting to interview other people is a ridiculously clear beacon that you have a weak interview process. Not being able to gather enough data and make a decision within 24 hours is not only a waste of your time, but the other person’s as well.

Comparison shopping is how bad hiring decisions are made.

Our guest today: Jodi Brandsttetter, Chief Talent Strategist of Lean Effective Talent Strategist, LLC

Jodi is passionate about talent acquisition and uses design thinking in creating selection and hiring processes focused on people and business. She is certified through IDEO U in design thinking.

Jodi is the CEO and founder of Lean Effective Talent Strategies which includes The Hiring Blueprint, talent acquisition consulting firm and Talent Acquisition Evolution, a community for recruiting professionals to connect, learn, and work together.

Today we discuss:

The dangers of comparison shopping when it comes to hiring
A plan of attack to enable quick decision making for each individual interviewed

Why do we feel like we want to see more people before we make a decision?

The hiring manager lacks confidence in making a decision with just one interview.
Being able to communicate the desire skill set and experience needed to find the best candidate
Understanding the motivators
Miscommunication between the manager and recruiter on the best candidate for the role
Or no communication between the manager and recruiter
Not everyone is the same person- shrug off bad hires
Stupid Assumptions!

Why is this important to the company?

Having confidence in pulling the trigger with the first person will lower time to hire/fill.
By hiring the first person who is align with the role, there can be a positive impact on the business in a faster time frame.
Builds a stronger relationship with the hr/recruiting team when a hiring manager knows what they need and able to make decisions in a timely manner.

People will judge you based on the quality of your questions. Therefore, your interview questions must be intentional and have a specific purpose.

How do we solve the problem?

Recognize that you do not have the tools and experience in hiring to have real confidence in your hiring decisions.
- Join Hiring Managers Anonymous, a community for hiring managers who have a hiring problem.
  - Step 1: Admit that you have a hiring problem
  - Step 2: Believe that there are tools and training available to help you.
  - Step 3: Find training and tools to help you become a confident hiring manager.
  - Step 4: Start your learning journey with the training & tools
  - Step 5: Make a Candidate Persona to understand who your ideal candidate is and focus on them.
  - Step 6: Communicate with your recruiter/recruiting team so that they can find the ideal candidate for you.
  - Step 7: Use the training and tools to make decisions while interviewing.
  - Step 8: It is ok to fail. Shake it off and try again.
  - Step 9: Be open to feedback and continue to improve.
  - Step 10: Once you become a confident hiring manager, carry this message to other hiring managers and continue to practice these principles.
  - 10 Step Program to Help Build Confidence in your Hiring Decisions
- In order to have the confidence, you need help.

Rick’s Nuggets

Interview questions are the root of interview failure
- Questions must be tied to corporate values
- Linked questions have purpose & produce evidence
- Eliminates bias
- Promotes diversity in thought & experience
Train your employees how to interview
- Assign interview questions
- Conversational evidence gathering

Key Takeaways -Value:

Join Hiring Manager Anonymous and find training and tools that will help you have confidence in hiring.
Use a Candidate Persona to create your ideal candidate.
Communicate who your ideal candidate is to your talent acquisition team and work in collaboration with them.
Be willing to fail. It is the only way you can learn.

Links

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodibrandstetter/

Websites: https://letscincy.com/index

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letscincy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodi_recruiter

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2BNdy2kafFSs-cimLyBPBA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCToc02W0GAFHMhXWJZIbhxQ?view_as=subscriber

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.co

Beating The Job Description Dead Horse with Mark Herschberg of The Career Toolkit Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

Why do I need to waste my time writing a job description? You might ask.

The answer is: To save Time … & be able to Sleep

The Job Description is there to evaluate how successful the person you hired is in the role they were hired for. Consider it the essential evaluation tool to manage expectations... A syllabus for success.

Investing the time up front will allow you to set the performance metrics the person needs to achieve in the critical first 90 days. Thus cementing quantifiable data to ensure a successful hire.

And that just helps all parties sleep better at night!

Our guest today: Mark Herschberg, MIT instructor, CTO, & Author of The Career Toolkit

From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia.

He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT’s “career success accelerator,” where he teaches annually. Mark helped create a platform used to teach finance at prominent business schools. He also works with many non-profits, including Techie Youth and Plant A Million Corals.

He was one of the top-ranked ballroom dancers in the country and now lives in New York City, where he is known for his social gatherings, including his annual Halloween party, as well as his diverse cufflink collection.

Today we discuss:

Why Job descriptions are critical to the success of your company
How to craft job descriptions that positively impact the organization

Challenge today with Job Descriptions?

Vague
- Too much redundant information
- Missing information
- Break down what the tasks are ie:% of time
Understanding the skills
- Defining soft skills
- Technical knowledge- not digging deeper
Throwing up barriers
Unclear job description leads to unclear evaluation of the interviewee

Why is this important to the company?

We waste a lot of time interviewing the wrong people
We hire for the wrong reasons
Breeds a underperforming team
Infects the culture
Domino effect downgrading the business
No compensation for a good teammate

Rick’s Nuggets

A job description is not a wishlist of skills
Job description and job advertisement should be the same document

How do we solve the problem?

- Working backwards
  - Define the specific attributes that are wanted
  - Uncover the why
  - Similar mentality bread into the person
  - Industry
- Write the job description
  - Start with a selling point
- Getting everyone on the same page
- Define the interview questions
  - uncover how the person fits the company

Rick’s Nuggets

What’s in it for me? (pain)
Problems solved
- 90 day performance metrics
- Includes hard & soft skills
About us
Call to Action
- Homework before resume submittal

Key Takeaways:

Step 1 of hiring: define the role, including the qualities you’re looking for, beyond just knowledge and experience
Step 2: make sure everyone on the hiring team is clear
Step 3: make sure the questions you ask align to evaluating on what you’re looking for

Links:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hershey/

Websites: https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCareerToolkitBook

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markaherschberg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CareerToolkitBk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecareertoolkit/

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Why You Come Across as “Dick” When You Interview with Molly McGrath of Hiring & Empowering Solutions Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

No one is interested in working for your ego. Just ask our friend …. Dick (name changed to protect the innocent).

Dick is a VP of a small, well funded start-up and very proud of what they are building. So proud that he has established a very high bar for the people he wants to hire. Let’s just say his expectations are a bit out of whack! He has Ferrari expectations on a Hyundai budget.

The way in which the interview is conducted comes across as adversarial. Dick comes across as a real, well you know…. Horses ass. As a result, some fantastic people have opted not to accept his offer and negative Glassdoor reviews are abundant.

Today is about how to NOT run off talented people in your interview, just like Dick.

Our guest today: Molly McGrath, Founder of Hiring & Empowering Solutions

Molly is a National Podcaster, decade long national blogger and 2 x Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. She has coached, consulted and directed presidents and founders of national organizations and over 4,000 small business owners in; executive-level leadership, continuous improvement and team empowerment initiatives to infiltrate new markets, leveraging partner ecosystems and producing profitability.

Today we discuss:

How you come across as Dick
How to fix the problem even if you are a Dick

Full disclosure: My dad’s name is Dick…. Sorry dad!

Challenge today?

Entrepreneurs don't believe that is a employee market
- People are looking for an opportunity
- People need leadership
- No one needs a job for a paycheck
- Realize that you are not the prize
Recruiting is 100% sales
- You can't hide the fact that you are an asshole
- You are responsible for the energy that you leave in every room
The interview is reckless
- You have to be

Why is this important to the company?

Mis-hires
Brand Reputation Management
- Ability to hire
- Social Media, Glass door Reviews
Greatly reduce your ability to hire

Rick’s Nuggets

Own who you are
No matter how great your company is, it is not the prize
- Means to an end & a Paycheck
- Two words: Improper screening

How do we solve the problem?

Audit on current interviewing, onboarding, & training process
- Make it safe
- Name it and own it
- Be clear on who you are, prepare people for the interview
Treat your interview like a client
- Brand reputation management
- End process gracefully
- Leave them better than when they entered
- Close the loop
Feedback
- Honest & intentional feedback
- Be a coach, leader, mentor

Rick’s Nuggets

Preparation for everyone in the interview process.

Key Takeaways:

FINDING ROCKSTAR/Batteries Included EMPLOYEES-- hiring and recruiting is 100% sales. You are selling YOUR COMPANY. don't make the entry point harder than hacking the white house--- keep your ADS short/empowering- don't include salary….you might push away a superstar b/c your top pay is dollars short of what they are worth. You want to take EVERYONE….interview for mindset/emotional intelligence/core values and don't get seduced by the resume. You can always training knowledge & Skillset BUT the Human stuff is what destroys a team.

KEEPING ROCKSTAR EMPLOYEES---Once you have a rockstar team-- don't get too cocky and think you're safe. Implement a quarterly “Employee Growth Plan'' for very employee in your business. This is the KEY to keeping and creating lifetime employees. Please feel free to email me and I will give you my process for free, as a listener of Rick’s. Nothing makes me HAPPIER as a recruiter when In box an employee and say “hey, are you happy & being treated well @ your current job or are you interested in hearing about a great opportunity…..” and then i get a response “I am VERY happy where I am, not interested!” i will immediately go check out the company they are working for and can IMMEDIATELY see the culture/values/ of that company and get so hopeful there are amazing companies finally understanding the value of team empowerment!

PERSONAL GROWTH is MORE Important than Professional growth-- when you invest in your team and invest (pay for!!!) coaching programs, mindset programs and have them CONSISTENTLY enrolled & engaged in coaching and personal development & growth your employees wont leave! (I will elaborate on ALL of this more during the LIVE.)

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-hall/

Websites: www.hiringandempowering.com

Twitter:https://twitter.com/HireAndEmpower

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Hiring Lessons Learned From Special Forces with Michael Sarraille & George Randle of EF Overwatch Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Think what you may about the military but the truth is they hire better than you!

They developed and refined a process that, over time, has ultimately uncovered those individuals who exemplify the core values that are critical to the success of the organization and the mission.

A strong commitment to We, before Me! …which is what your company needs

Today is about lessons learned from Special Forces that you can apply to your company, to ensure that you are hiring the people who also share your company's core values.

Our guests today: Michael Sarraille, Founder & CEO of EF Overwatch, & George Randle, managing partner at EF Overwatch & Head of Global Talent Acquisition of Forcepoint.

Mike Sarraille is a former Recon Marine and retired US Navy SEAL officer with twenty years of experience in Special Operations, including the elite Joint Special Operations Command.

George Randle is a former US Army officer, and Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at Forcepoint, a human-centric cybersecurity company. George has more than two decades of experience in talent acquisition at Fortune 100 and Fortune 1000 firms.

Today we discuss:

Why it is critical for values to align with the mission
How to Model Military Special Forces in Hiring Talent

Can we all agree almost every core business problem can be traced back to a people problems?

Knowing this, why do we set ourselves up for failure by hiring the wrong people?

Challenge today?

Companies are terrible at hiring
- Not the best leading recruiting
- Actions don't reflect people importance
Wrong people leading people

Why is this important to the company?

If you don't achieve strategic competitive advantage over people, you will fail
Weak HR function- CEO’s need to empower HR to breed success
Every business function starts with people
Costs are 213-1500% for a senior executive bad hire
- Direct cost- 2-15x the person's salary ($3400 per every 10k in salary)
- Indirect cost- disengaged employees
- Run out your A-players

Rick’s Nuggets

Disengaged employees are easier to pluck out of your company when leadership is compromised

How do we deploy into your company?

Focus in talent management solutions
Talent diagnostics
Leading in talent management first
- Starts at the top
- Investing into your people
Constant Training (less than 1% of companies do this)

Key Takeaways:

Look in the mirror
Treating your human capital as discipline, rigor & focus as you do on your financial?

Links:

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsarraillemba/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgelrandle/

Websites:

https://www.efoverwatch.com/

https://www.forcepoint.com/

https://thetalentwar.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/efoverwatch/

https://www.facebook.com/talentwargroup/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MJSarraille

https://twitter.com/EfOverwatch

https://twitter.com/talentwargroup

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/efoverwatch/

https://www.instagram.com/talentwargroup/

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Remote Interviewing Done Right with Brenna Loury of Doist Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

The remote interview is still a HUGE challenge for a lot of companies. Especially for those of you who are lacking a formalized process.

Simply evaluating skills and heavily relying on “vibe” to influence decisions is producing even worse results in this work from home environment.

Too much is able to remain hidden because video is limiting on the non-verbal cues that happen in the interaction.

Assumptions, bias and misinformation have become the new plague in today’s interview.

Today is about nailing your video interviews to ensure the strongest hire!

Our guest today: Brenna Loury, Head of Marketing for Doist.

Brenna Loury knows that the road to success isn’t a path you find — it’s a trail you blaze.

Fueled by her unorthodox marketing efforts, Brenna left her PR firm and joined Doist full-time in 2014. She handles everything from overall marketing strategy, to HR duties, to writing website copy. She’s helped expand Doist’s remote-first team from 5 to 92 employees in over 30 countries, and her grassroots marketing strategies have helped bring the company over 25 million users globally.…And everyone is remote!

Today we discuss:

Why the Video Interview is so challenging today
How to master the video interview

Challenge today?

Not meeting in person
Touch points have gone away
Video interviews - change in format
Onboarding
Hire based on core values

Why is this important to the company?

98% employee retention rate
Benefited the business
People are happy and the quality of work
Willingness to go above and beyond

Rick’s Nuggets

Limited view of subject
Uncomfortable/unnatural interaction
Breeding ground for assumptions & unconscious bias

How do we build into your company?

Same interview process across the company
Structure
- Hiring committee (3 people)
- 1 hour interview
Add insight question for people who submit a resume

Cultural Interview - team manager

What are the challenges that Doist’s products are trying to solve that most excite you? (did they do their homework?)
How might you improve our landing pages/XYZ? (can they be radically candid?)
Tell me about a time in your personal life or at work when you had to be very detail oriented.
Tell me about a time when you completed a project 100% on your own. How did you get started and what was the outcome? (can they work autonomously?)
What’s the last good book that you read? (interests/life outside of work)
Favorite apps on your phone? (interests/life outside of work)

Technical- person assigned (senior people)

Judging the skills
- Can you tell me about a company that you think does a great job at product marketing?
- What are the advantages/disadvantages of using CSS preprocessors?

Test Project

Pay people to do the work
Examples:
- Create a week-long social media plan
- Write a blog post about a product update
- Create a Hacker News style reader

Cultural Final - leader/executive

Covers 5 core values: Mastery, Independence, Communication, Ambition & Balance, Impact
- Behavioral questions:
  - What’s the difference between someone who’s good in your field versus someone who’s outstanding?
  - Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a team member. How did you approach that situation?
  - Tell me about a time that you went above and beyond what was expected? What motivated you to do so?

Rick’s Nuggets

Phone Screen / Discovery Call
Pain, Desire, Impact

Key Takeaways:

Prioritize hiring for cultural fit – some technical skills can be learned later on the job
Do everything you can to cultivate an environment that values trust over tracking

Links:

Website: https://doist.com/

Blog: https://blog.doist.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/doist, https://twitter.com/brennakL

Relevant blog posts:

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Purpose & Company Values Win Elite Talent, Not Paychecks! with Greg Besner of CultureIQ Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

High performance teams don't just happen by chance. They are artfully built with an impenetrable culture at its heart.

The people who join are in alignment with the values and purpose of the organization. The result is unrivaled performance above and beyond your expectations.

Our guest today: Greg Besner, Founder and Vice Chairman of CultureIQ

A global company that helps organizations create high-performance cultures. He and his firm have assisted more than one thousand organizations and millions of employees strengthen their company culture.

Greg was an early investor in Zappos which inspired his commitment to organizational culture. In 2018, he was ranked in USA Today as the 8th best CEO in the United States among a pool of 50,000 companies. He was also named the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®.

Today we discuss:

Why, if you are serious about your business, you need to prioritize your company values as the heart of your hiring decisions
How to deploy a process to enable your company to hire people who continually raise the bar for performance

I find that often the phrase “not a good cultural fit” is an easy cop out line for a company to pass on people. When asked “HOW” the conversation quickly disintegrates.

How can someone not really make that conclusion when they lack clarity on what their culture/purpose is?

Challenge today?

Recruiting for purpose/ culture alignment
Zoom interview
- Body language/ energy
- Human interaction
- Interact in the environment around them
- Fumbling with this new interview process
Onboarding
- Energy of the office not really happening
- Interpersonal mingling
Because the human interaction is missing
- Elevates chance of bias
People are uncomfortable in a video interview setting

Why is this important to the company?

Culture alignment
Diversity of experience, perspective
Recruiting process is opposite of what it is today
Expensive to recruit & train
Turnover is expensive
Employees who are not aligned with the purpose are expensive

Rick’s Nuggets

Bias is a two way street

How do we build into your company?

First interaction is a 2 sided conversation- human interaction
- Experience of working in the organization
- Company go first
- Let the person give their elevator pitch
- What would allow them to be successful at the company
Having a framework
- Notes should be taken, structured, & details on their values
Mutual agreement on moving forward
- Letting the person know the next steps
- Transparency
- Closure
Interviews
- Teammate or HR first
Try not to replicate the interview!
Multi-step process
- Split up to cover different roles
- values from skills
- No need to cover the same questions
hire bar raisers

Rick’s Nuggets

First interaction: Discovery call
Understand Pain, Desire, Impact
Listen to understand first
Buy in through connecting the dots
Presenting back what fits, & what does not

Key Takeaways:

Bar Raisers-
Structured Interview Process
Transparency in Hiring Process

Links

Email: greg@cultureiq.com

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregbesner/

Websites:

http://theculturequotient.com/

http://cultureiq.com/

http://getsunflow.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CultureIQ/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cultureiq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSECYe1wg_KxMi_yNi7KQbA?view_as=subscriber

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cultureiq/

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/

Where You Are Screwing Up Your Hiring That Causes Boardroom Conflict with Rod Robertson of Briggs Capital Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

One bad hire in your startup negatively affects your balance sheet and is the fuel to future boardroom conflict.

Often, we entrepreneurs feel the pressure to fill our roles at the expense of elevating our people's performance. This disintegrates the company values and results in the exit of your strongest players.

Today is about hiring “gravitators” and avoiding the “disintegrators” that will surely be the subject of boardroom conflict.

Our guest today: Rod Robertson, Founder & Managing Partner of Briggs Capital.

Rod is an international entrepreneur and co-author of the book The Human Vector. He has conducted business in over 15 countries while focusing on developing small-to-medium-sized businesses and taking them to market worldwide.

Robertson’s career in transaction experience and entrepreneurship includes guest lecturing around the globe at institutions such as Harvard Business School and other top-flight MBA schools as well as business forums and news outlets worldwide. He sits on numerous boards, guiding firms to streamline operations and make businesses more profitable before selling.

Today we discuss:

The difference between hiring a gravitator vs a disintegrator
Why this is important to your board of directors
How to gain evidence to support hiring the right person - a Gravitator

Challenge today?

Companies have no room for error in hiring
Hiring folks that can contribute to increased value of the firm
Boards are looking at the income statements & balance sheet
- Are they cohesive with growth strategies?
How to assess quickly to unload non performing employees

Why is this important to the company

In 2021 the PPP bailouts have run their course - no margin for error
Your hires must stick - no “numbers game” in hiring
The co culture equal to individual go

Rick’s Nuggets

A speedy hire often results in a miss hire

How do we fix this issue in your company?

Bring on more outside Board of Advisors (not traditional Boards) to analyze and share the responsibility of hiring and layoffs
Human Vector
Systematic approach to maximizing employee performance
GRAVITORS can change employees “angle” to the” Vector”
INTEGRATOR -manager who accelerates integration of employees
FUNNEL OF VECTORS acceptable deviation of employees from company values
DISINTEGRATORS a disruptive employee
Attributes as they relate to the goals of the company
Management hiring and termination based more then ever on cash flow
Quantitative analysis trumps culture for now
$1.9B stimulus will prop up economy for six months then economic slide predicted for balance of 2021 thru 2022
Small to medium size businesses must pivot quicker then ever
Using outside Board members or advisors to make quantitative decisions should be utilized

Rick’s Nuggets

Behavioral Interview
Tie interview questions to your company values

*Knockout:

Tell me about your most difficult Customer interaction (give wow)
What were the circumstances that led to the difficulty?
Break down the steps you took to resolve the problem
What was the root of the customer issue?
What solutions did you come up with?
How were you able to calm them down?
How were you able to deliver beyond their expectations?
How did the interaction end?
Why was their view important to you?

Key Takeaways:

During these difficult times, systematic hiring and termination most adhere to a firm’s financial
Outside Advisory input can bring clarity to growth and/or scaling back strategies
It’s a perfect time to shake up your roster!

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roderickrobertson/

Website:www.briggscapital.com

This show is proudly sponsored by Criteria Crop: https://www.criteriacorp.com/