Selling your jobs to candidates

Another good one from Seth Godin today. Regarding the increasing use of online videos by marketing firms (and in my experience graduate recruiters now) to be 'different' in their approach to finding the best people to recruit, often by being more viral or more funny than the next company, Seth posits the following:

Just as a great product becomes remarkable--not because of the marketing claims, but because it really is worth talking about--a great job can be the same sort of thing. I'd use the video in a different way. Instead of trying to be funny viral, I'd try to be honest viral. Let me really understand who the boss is going to be, what the office is like, what the work is like. Sell the job, not the job opening.

I always like it when I hear someone outside of the 'recruitment market' who just 'gets it'. If your job is worth doing then sell it properly to people. Increasingly we are operating in a candidate-centric market with a huge number of companies fighting over the same small pool of exceptional candidates. Don't want to be left with the dregs? Make sure you have a good spec, a clear idea of who you want, a good proposition in terms of career development, a great office, a strong team, phenomenal managers and all the rest too. If you're remarkable, people will remark upon it.

I'm inspired - corporate re-engineering and industrial democracy

I have a new hero. He’s a Brazilian called Ricardo Semler, CEO and majority owner of Semco and to my mind one of the most inspiring individuals in the business world. Forget Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Stelios Haji-Ioannou and the rest. Semler is a better role-model for business people the world over and I for one would love to see more companies run by those who have been inspired by him.

So what am I making such a big fuss about? Well the best place for a crash course in Industrial Democracy would probably be this article. Semler's Wikipedia entry also provides a good round-up of his career. This article from 2003 is worth a read too. There’s a lot to take in about him and I’ve not even read the books yet!

The thing is though, I was telling a friend about this story a little while back. He was impressed with the figures involved but also made some crack about Communism being rife in South America. I guess with our regular perception of business and how it should work something like the Semler story seems crazy, utopian, Communist or the like. The thing is though it’s not. It’s massively democratic, meritocratic and workable. It does mean having some faith in people, placing levels of trust in your employees and colleagues to a degree that might seem scary and relinquishing traditional ideas of ‘control’. Yet if you do that I truly believe the benefits are there to be had by all.

I’m sure a heck of a lot of people will at best be very sceptical about this and at worst think it complete nonsense. I’m more than prepared for the fact that the majority of people here at Omni would disagree with me on this and I genuinely can’t think of a client or supplier that would go for it. But I don’t care! In fact I’m hoping people want the discussion. I’m sure any question you could think of Ricardo Semler would have an answer to. Without him here though I’ll do my best to debate the topic instead. So come on, lets have at it! What do you think? Pie in the sky or 21st century management of the most fantastically daring order?

Craig's name in lights!

Craig sent a letter to ModernSelling.com last week and they were so impressed they made it letter of the week! You can register with the site to read it but for those who just want a quick hit of Sweeney knowledge the transcript is below. Enjoy!


GRADUATES' SOFT SKILLS
As a well-established recruitment outsourcer, Omni has worked with clients to recruit at all levels across a multitude of industry sectors and I strongly believe that some of the comments in the article ‘TOO SOFT ON SOFT SKILLS’ looked only at one aspect of why companies don’t find the right skills in graduates.
I agree there are more graduates out there today with poor communication skills and this is largely the result of there being more graduates (ie the percentages haven’t changed over time but the numbers have grown). What your article didn’t acknowledge was how organisations approach their graduate recruitment and what processes and tools they have in place to assess candidates’ soft skills effectively.
Bottom rung of the ladder
In our experience, graduate recruitment is often the bottom rung of the recruitment ladder (this is the reality rather than the rhetoric) and, as such, does not receive the level of attention and importance it should. With the exception of a few very good graduate recruiters the whole process of sourcing, assessment and selection is where organisations lose out to those who fail to find the right people for their business. Ask PWC, Ernst & Young and McDonalds if they can find good graduates and suspect the answer would be yes.
Acting to change the situation
The research sited in your article that 50% of chief execs don’t believe their graduate intake can not interact favourably with potential clients and in-house teams, was also very interesting. I’m sure they are right, but what I question is what are they doing to change this other than waiting for the world to change around them? I would be intrigued to ask those chief execs if they know how their organisation currently sources and assesses their graduates. If you ask that question to the chief execs in the aforementioned organisation I suspect they would know the answer.
From: Craig Sweeney, Operations Director, Omni Resource Management Solutions.

Customer Service Proposal

Radical? Yes. Brave? Definitely. But a potentially great idea too...

Customer satisfaction and my weekend

So I went to the cinema yesterday to see the new film from the guys who did ‘Shaun of the Dead’. It’s called ‘Hot Fuzz’ and it was genuinely enjoyable if you like your comedy daft, surreal and anarchic. I hadn’t been the cinema in ages either so it was good to go and see something on the big screen rather than waiting for the DVD. The thing is though it got me thinking about how organisations treat their customers. Let me explain the scenario:

So I’m going with my girlfriend and we get there about half an hour early (I only live 5 minutes away from the cinema). There’s no queue for tickets (a good thing on a Sunday afternoon) and no queue for popcorn. We get our choice of seats, I’m looking forward to the film and we stroll over to the guy who checks the tickets planning to go in, sit down, eat popcorn and generally chill out. Then we hit a snag, ‘That screen’s not open yet’, says the ticket-checking guy. Fair enough. We’re about 20 minutes early so they must still be cleaning the place after the last film. We’ll just have to sit down and wait a few minutes. Thing is, there’s no-where to sit. There absolutely tonnes of seats by the bar, but you have to buy something from the bar to sit on them. We’ve just spent £13 on tickets and £6 on a drink and some popcorn. It’s also 1.30pm on a Sunday and if I wanted to have a beer I’d be in the pub, not the cinema. So we stand and wait.

Then my real issue with it all starts. More people start coming in to see the film. It’s brand new so is probably filling screens virtually every showing. Yet the ticket checking guy just keeps saying ‘That screen’s not open yet’, in the same monotone. The people all do the same thing; look for somewhere to sit, realise there’s no chairs, so stand and mill about near the entrance (which is the entrance to all the screens, so they’re in the way too). They get no explanation from the ticket guy. They don’t know why the screen’s not open yet (it’s now 10 minutes from the start), they don’t have anywhere to sit down, there is no information on how long they may have to wait so understandably everyone is a bit restless. The film is a 15 certificate so the crowd is a bit of a mix with a couple of families thrown in. There are no kids obviously but I doubt had it been the latest Disney film that the ticket checker would have done anything differently. We eventually went in 5 minutes after the start time. No-one announced we could go in though, everyone just realised they could as 3 cinema staff came out of the screen with mops, buckets and rubber gloves. When we got in there a row was cordoned off and a seat covered in a bin bag, so I guess someone got overexcited during the last screening. We all struggle to our seats (as everyone is now bottlenecked in the entrance due to being let in all at once), sit down and watch the film.

So what’s wrong with the above you may ask? Am I (as my girlfriend thinks) just a miserable, cantankerous complainer? I don’t think so. What happens in that story if your number one priority as an organisation is the customer? Here’s how I think it should (and could) go:

There’s a problem in the screen. You know that it’s going to take longer than usual to clean as somebody has had a little accident when they were laughing so hard at the funny film. So you tell your ticket check guy and he (being part of a crack, customer service focussed team) starts to let people know. He tells them there’ll be a delay, he makes an accurate prediction of how long they’ll wait (if he can, if not he just reassures people everyone’s working as hard as they can) and he apologises (a genuine apology, not just one for the sake of it). Those people then go and sit on the many seats in the foyer area (there’s plenty of room for them). Alternatively they can sit on the seats at the bar. Obviously these are usually reserved for patrons of the bar but as there’s a problem and a delay everyone might as well be as comfortable as possible (they can also help themselves to the free peanuts and bar snacks dotted about). So far so simple right? Here’s where it gets interesting.

The delay is clearly going to run into the start time. It’s not a big deal as even if the film starts running people will only miss the first couple of ads. Yet people might be a bit worried. They’re comfy sure, but they want to get into the film. So the ticket check guy or someone else in the team makes an announcement.

‘Ladies and gentleman, thanks for your patience with this problem. The guys on clean-up have nearly finished and the screen will be ready for you in just a few minutes. We’ll then get you seated and you can enjoy the film, which by the way I saw last night and is great, so you’re in for a treat. Like I said it’ll just be a few minutes, so if you want you can start queuing over here. Also, now’s the time to check you’ve got enough popcorn, drinks, sweets and so on to last you through the film. We’ve actually got a deal on today where if you buy a large popcorn you get a large drink for free, so if you bought your popcorn and didn’t realise feel free to go back and get yourself a drink. Apologies again for the delay, I hope you enjoy the film.’

All of a sudden by getting someone to make this announcement you’ve done some very clever things. First off you’ve made all your customers happy. They may still be annoyed at the person who made a mess on the seat in the previous screening but they won’t be annoyed at you. They’ll feel valued as a customer and their whole experience will be a more enjoyable one.

Secondly you’ve increased the opportunity to sell more popcorn, sweets, hotdogs etc. My girlfriend was umming and ahhing about getting some pick and mix yesterday. Had somebody suggested she go buy some whilst we were waiting then that’d have swung it I reckon and another £5 would have walked out of our pockets and into the coffers. I’m pretty sure that’d work for a lot of people there too.

Finally (and this one is really important), you’ve empowered your staff to be brand champions for you. You’ve allowed them to act and react to ensure that the customers come back time and again. You’ve made them feel positive about helping people and you’ve given them the authority to do what they can to make everybody’s experience better than when they go to the cinema down the road. By interacting with the customers, by being a source of knowledge and information (about where the toilets are and when the film starts but also about whether the film is any good, what’s coming out soon that is going to be a hot ticket etc) and by cross-selling to benefit the customer and the cinema, the staff can enjoy what they do and be a real asset to the organisation. (Here’s a completely off the wall/brave one – how about if there wasn’t a deal on popcorn that day but some of your staff were empowered where they saw fit to make a deal happen there and then if the opportunity looked like it would be a beneficial one? If they knew about the value of the goods and the profit/loss you could make on a deal and balanced this against the benefit to the customer, then who loses?)

When it comes to it I still enjoyed the film. I had a nice time and next time there is a film I want to see I’ll still go back. Yet I don’t go to the cinema that often. When I do I pick that cinema because it’s local. What if somewhere really improved my cinema-going experience? I think I’d go more often and I also think if it wasn’t local but it was the best then I’d make the effort to get there. In this age of HDTV, pirate movies on the net and multimedia entertainment can cinemas afford to keep doing things how they’ve always done them? How about the following as a list of improvements I can think of straight away:

• Completely flexible pricing. So tickets at certain times of the day/week cost less, as they do now. Yet they also cost less if the film has been out for a while or for the less popular films.
• Reactive deals on popcorn, sweets, hotdogs, ice cream etc. Does popcorn sell better in the evening? Make it cheaper in the morning then. Hot outside? Get some deals on the go with your ice cream and drinks.
• Sell the above items in the screen just before the film starts. It’s a bit retro and a bit nostalgic but personally I’d love it and I reckon a lot of other people would too.
• Get your customers talking. About anything and everything. Film buffs are some of the biggest geeks in the world (I mean that in a totally complimentary way) so let them geek it up together. Offer membership to clubs with discounts, deals, schwag etc, get involved in user communities, be in ‘their’ world both online and offline (and hire people from that world where appropriate. The rest will ‘work’ for you for free if you provide them with the opportunity to evangelise about the cinema and the films shown there).
• Get people to ‘refer a friend’ to the cinema. Don’t tell them they get anything for doing this then surprise them with a free ticket to a film of their choice next time they go in.
• Make the cinema space totally customer focussed. This could be extra chairs or it could be better toilets. It’s probably not a load of cheesy film quotes on the walls. Get a survey out there and see what people want, then do it.
• Make everything cheaper for your most loyal customers. Reward the fact that they keep coming back. £13 for 2 tickets on a Sunday afternoon seems steep to me but if it’s only once every couple of months then fair enough. As an outlay every week it’s scandalous.

These are just some quick thoughts off the top of my head and I’m sure there may be problems with them. I still feel though that you could just do things a heck of a lot better in this particular market with a little thought and investment (of time and money initially). Focussing on the customer will improve your whole organisation from bottom-line to market share. Worth giving it a go?

Love to hear your thoughts on either the ideas or the film!

Happy Valentines!

The most romantic day of the year today apparently. Sounds like an awful lot of pressure and expectation being put on one day so probably a recipe for disaster overall but lets be honest, who doesn't enjoy the garish sentimentality of it all, deep down?

Chaps, if you've forgotten the date today and are due an ear-bashing this link may be of use to you...

Ladies, if your man has proved himself a little forgetful then this may be the link that you're after today...

Whether you're single or all loved-up today I hope you have lots of fun. If you're stuck for things to do here are some Valentines related links to entertain:

- More than you ever wanted to know about Valentines Day

- The official bloggers wine branded suitably for Valentines

- Bid on gifts for yourself if you didn't get what you wanted

- And finally, why even if you're single today, there's always a few people worse off than you...

Big love everybody!

Dress for Success

So someone asked me this week how they should dress for an interview that they're going to on Friday. The interview is with a company in the city centre and it's essentially an admin and support role. The industry is engineering. To me this is an easy answer - wear a suit, shirt, tie and shoes. The answer wouldn't be hugely different (bar the tie) if my friend was female. When it comes down to it, for me you can never be overdressed for an interview. The modern take on things seems to be to lose the tie or possibly the suit jacket but why would you take the risk when the traditional way isn't ever going to cause trouble? If you were going for an interview in a trendy, new media start-up and you positively knew that uber-cool, smart/casual was de rigeur then possibly you'd dress down accordingly. Yet that would be the sort of interview where they'd probably take you for a coffee rather than formally sit you down in the office. The rest of the time, the smarter the better.

I actually put together a tips sheet on this for our candidates. We send it out along with any interview prep stuff and since I started using it I haven't had any complaints from clients about what our candidates turn up dressed in. So I'll transcribe it below and it may be of use to you. Alternatively if you have any other ideas or thoughts on the subject, let me know.

What (or what not) to wear…men

- Do wear a suit. Black, dark grey or navy blue are most acceptable. Suits don’t have to be 3-piece but should be in good condition and clean.
- Do wear a shirt and tie. Although ties are sometimes less prevalent in offices these days it is vital to be as smart as possible for an interview. A tie is therefore a must.
- Do wear a smart pair of shoes. Black shoes should go with your suit. Shoes should be polished and in good condition. Avoid trainers no matter what the circumstances.
- Do present as smart an image as possible. Hair (facial and head hair) needn’t be military style but should be neat and tidy. Nails should be clipped, hands cleaned (for that all important handshake) and as an added extra check your fly before you even enter the building!
- Don’t wear novelty ties, or anything that could be misconstrued as casual.
- Don’t wear white socks. Ever. Unless you’re playing tennis or going to the gym.
- Don’t wear a short-sleeved shirt. They are regarded as casual and particularly don’t look right when worn with a tie. Stick to long sleeves and avoid the desire to roll them up, even when it’s hot.
- Do take something to carry any relevant documents in (job spec, your A4 pad, handy hints from Omni etc). Ideally make it a smart black shoulder bag, briefcase or document wallet.
- Do take your coat off before you enter the building. Under no circumstances go into the interview with a coat on and if for any reason you do by mistake don’t sit there with it on.
- Do check the situation with jewellery (particularly facial jewellery) before you attend. Chances are even in the most forward-thinking organisation a man in earrings, with a nose stud or with an eyebrow piercing will not be regarded as ‘smart’ in the same way that someone without any body ornamentation will be. So to be on the safe side take jewellery off before you attend. Similarly large chains, rings or anything else noticeable should be removed beforehand.

What (or what not) to wear…women

- Do dress as smartly as possible. A trouser suit or skirt and jacket is ideal.
- Do wear a smart pair of shoes but don’t wear the most impractical pair you have. Chances are the one time you can’t walk in your 4 inch stiletto heels will be when you are walking towards a potential employer!
- Don’t overdo the make-up. Avoid large amounts of blusher, foundation or eye make-up as many interviewers would regard this as inappropriate for work (and therefore doubly inappropriate for an interview).
- Don’t show too much flesh. The following should not be bared in an interview: cleavage, midriff, thighs, back. Restraint is the most important thing; if an outfit could possibly be misinterpreted, rethink it.
- Do keep jewellery to a minimum. A pair of stud earrings, an unobtrusive necklace and a ring is more than enough. Large earrings, a variety of chains, bangles, rings and other items are unnecessary and can seem unprofessional. Tongue studs or any other noticeable piercings should also be removed for the interview.
- Don’t try to be the most fashionable person in the room but also don’t worry about being the smartest. You can never overdress for an interview.
- Avoid excessive amounts of perfume, nail polish, lipstick or anything that could distract the interviewer and detract from an otherwise professional appearance.Wear something that you feel comfortable in; it will give you an extra confidence boost and reduce the chance of nervous fidgeting.

Bowling night

Omni night out booked in the diary last week and we decided to go bowling at the nearby Trafford Centre. It was a hard fought contest between 4 teams with some exemplary performances. Highlight of the night has to be Craig bowling 5 strikes in a row! Not entirely sure where he got this bowling magic from, every other time we've gone he's been a bit rubbish! I think secret bowling lessons may have been involved! Having said that after a couple more pints the magic seemed to dissipate leaving his team way down the rankings. When the dust had settled it was my team (naturally) left victorious!

We do quite a lot of this kind of thing (socialising together, not bowling) and I do think it makes a difference in the office and how we work together. If you can have a couple of drinks quite happily with your colleagues and know them as a 'real person' the whole relationship during the 9 to 5 bit becomes easier in my experience. Plus if you see your boss jumping around in an arcade on one of those dance machines it breaks down the odd barrier or two I reckon...

Are you a sheep?

Why can't I think of great, catchy names for things? I guess you've got to think of something worth the catchy title first though so maybe I should start there! Seth Godin (marketing guru is probably about right as a job title) is pretty good at both the ideas bit and the catchy titles. Today he comes up with 'Sheepwalking' to describe how people drift through their lives/careers just upholding the status quo, not innovating or changing and ruled by fear and the desire to follow the 'sheep'. Seth explains it really well, worth a read.

Are you sheepwalking your way through your job? If so is it time for a change? Will your employer let you shake things up? If not, are you in the right place? What happened to that great business idea/novel/trip of a lifetime you were planning?

Must Try Harder

Hi all!

Apologies for the lack of blog content over the last week. I have no excuses as although I'm busy this is definitely something I need to make time for. We're hiring graduates for my client Allied Irish Bank at the moment plus we have 53 live vacancies so my brain has been in another place for the last few days. The blog shouldn't fall by the wayside though so I promise to make amends. Look out for some interesting content (some linked some original) over the next few days. As ever, comments or suggestions for new posts or topics for discussion welcome!

Snowed in?

Started snowing heavily this morning when I was virtually at work. So rather than a day off school looks like we could get snowed in and have to keep working; typical! The UK does seem particularly vulnerable to a little bit of adverse weather. Quick tip if you're attending an interview (most of the ones I've booked for people are going to be delayed at the very least today) - if the weather has been forecasting snow all week strap a couple of tennis rackets to your shoes, set off a couple of hours early and avoid the trains!

Snowball fight anybody?

One of my fave blogs

A blog that I read daily but I haven’t given a heads-up yet, Kathy Sierra’s Creating Passionate Users. I love it for lots of reasons (it’s informative, funny, has great graphics, fits in with my view on how to treat your customers etc) and could have flagged lots of stories (if you have some time work your way through the favourite posts, they’re all pretty great) but I really enjoyed this recent post and it made me think about how it’s very easy to lose focus on the important stuff sometimes, even (or perhaps especially) if you're doing super-well.