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Tag: management
Hirers Bemoan Wasted Time With Some Job Applicants

Hirers Bemoan Wasted Time With Some Job Applicants

By Diane Stafford, The Kansas City Star (TNS)

A paid summer internship at a Kansas City, Mo., consulting company remains unfilled as of this writing because applicants haven’t followed instructions.

A veterinarian at a small-animal hospital is frustrated because one-third to one-half of applicants scheduled for interviews failed to show up.

For all the justified complaints among job hunters about sending their applications into the “black holes” of corporate human resource departments, there’s a flip side.

Small businesses, in particular, simply don’t have time to continue to pursue applicants who express interest but don’t follow through with paperwork or appointments.

The director of administration at the above-mentioned consulting office was blunt about being disappointed in a promising candidate: “After prompting him twice, he’s not sent back the completed application. I’m not going to chase these kids down! If they can’t follow simple instructions in a timely manner, we don’t have time to mentor them in our office this summer.”

The veterinarian is wondering whether applicants are taking advantage of the unemployment system by professing to have applied for work but aren’t completing a real application. He said his office schedules interviews with candidates who submit online applications but, “They don’t call, they don’t email, they just disappear. Of course, we don’t pursue them after this happens.”

The Internet has made it easy to apply for jobs; shoe leather not required. Many employers are inundated with both qualified applicants who deserve thoughtful consideration and incredibly unqualified applicants who are simply pushing buttons. When hirers find a good candidate, they’re understandably interested in moving forward with the application process — just like job hunters who believe they’re right for the position.

But, as is the case in so many ways, bad apples taint the barrel. Applicants who follow the rules in the time frame allotted are penalized by employers’ suspicions that they, too, don’t really want the job or won’t justify the employer’s time and expense vested in them.

In a perfect world, applicants — even those frustrated by a longer-than-expected period of job hunting — would be more judicious about applying only for jobs that truly are right for them based on their experience, talents, and interests. And, if they hear back from a prospective employer, they would respond promptly, and clearly express their intent to pursue the hiring process or back away.

In an equally perfect world, employers would have more time and a terrific culling system to separate promising, credible applicants from those who are merely fishing or abusing the system.

Clearly, perfection isn’t going to happen on either side. It’s up to individual conscience and business conditions to decide how much serious effort goes into any workplace matchmaking. Despite the odds, some matches will be made.

ABOUT THE WRITER
To reach Diane Stafford, call 816-234-4359 or send email to stafford@kcstar.com. Follow her online at kansascity.com/workplace and twitter.com/kcstarstafford.

(c)2015 The Kansas City Star, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Photo: Kathryn Decker, Flickr

Developing A Well-Rounded Management Team

Developing A Well-Rounded Management Team

By Liz Reyer, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (TNS)

Q: I’d like to help the managers on my team become more effective with their direct reports. They tend to have different approaches — one is highly organized with a “command and control” approach, one has a more empathic approach, and so on. How can I help them all become more well rounded?

A: Use your managers’ strengths to build a whole that is stronger than each of the parts.

The Inner Game

Think about the suite of skills that a manager needs. A good manager needs to be able to teach, coach, delegate, oversee and sometimes, to set limits and enforce expectations. They also need to be able to create a vision and inspire employees to build commitment and engagement.

As you prepare to work with your team, start with self-assessment. Identify areas where you’re strong; you can use those strengths to help your team. Also pay attention to areas where you have less skill. Don’t devalue them as areas for development for your team just because they don’t play to your strengths. This could be the chance you need for some additional growth.

Do some analysis and planning for each of your managers. Know what strengths you’d like to leverage and the top opportunities for improvement for each. Also consider whether they are out of balance, relying too much on one approach rather than having more leadership flexibility. Then create a vision of your team as a whole so that you’ll know when you’ve achieved your objective.

Determine the resources available within your company so that you can make a realistic plan for growth that fits within time and budget constraints.

The Outer Game

Have one-on-one meetings with each manager, talking about your assessment and engaging them in considering next steps for their development. Be aware that they may resist the feedback, or may simply have blinders on that are hard to get through. Be consistent with your expectations … and be ready to both push and support. Also, make the point that you’re not trying to create clones and that the best outcome will be that each manager grows in unique ways.

Then pull the group together, using this as a team-building opportunity. Consider a one-day off-site meeting, where you can step away from day-to-day work and collaborate on ways to become more effective. Ideally, you’d have a facilitator so that you can participate and so that there is some neutrality. Encourage mutual support and teaching, perhaps having managers share their best practices. Your goal will be to have specific action plans so that your managers are ready to move forward once they get back to work.

Build progress into goals and objectives, and observe performance and provide feedback on a regular basis. Make it clear that refusing to build new skills is not an option, while recognizing that growth also involves the risk of failure (and trying again), so it needs to be a safe environment. And seeing their managers continue to push themselves will send a powerful message to more junior staff.

The Last Word

Growth is challenging but could be the path to a strong and cohesive leadership team.

About the Writer
Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at liz@deliverchange.com.

(c)2015 Star Tribune, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Photo: Vancouver Film School via Flickr