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Author: Phil Wrzesinski

I’m Hiring Part 4 – The Interviews and the Aftermath

I asked each applicant to, “bring in one item that best represents you and be prepared to explain why.”

All 14 did an excellent job with this exercise, and the insights it gave me into what really makes them tick was well worth the effort. It also gave them one question for which they could be prepared, which helped some of them with their nerves.

Sure, you can argue that I got canned, prepared answers. But I would argue back that for the most part, I got honest, insightful answers that in some cases told me all I need to know and the canned answers are also quite telling. Plus, some of their answers led me to better questions than I had even prepared.

Mostly, however, we focused on behavioral-based questions that involved specific details of how they handled certain events in their past. Questions like…

Tell me about a time when you made a lasting, positive impression on a customer.

What is the most difficult decision you have ever had to make?

Describe your most remarkable achievement at work.

After each interview I gave myself a couple minutes to quickly write down first impressions. Sometimes that first impression was simply “No”. No sense wasting an extra minute of your time on someone who doesn’t fit the bill.

It didn’t take long to get from 14 down to 6. But I only needed three. How do you separate the rest? Reference calls.

I started by calling past employers. This is always tricky. They rarely give you anything but the run-around (especially chain stores). But there is a way to get around that. I will often ask if the person answering the phone knew the applicant. You can often tell from their response exactly what they thought about the applicant. One of my best hires was a gal that when I called her previous employer, the receptionist asked me how she was and how much they all missed her. From that little tidbit, I knew she would get along well with others.

If that isn’t enough (although it usually is) I would call their personal references.

Lastly, I prioritized the remaining 6 by comparing them side by side. Then it was simply doing that most favorite part of my job – calling and offering someone a job. My top 3 accepted. Two of them start tomorrow:-)

-Phil

PS Everyone that interviewed received either a personal call or letter explaining that they did not make the cut. I believe they deserve that.

I’m Hiring Part 3 – Who to Interview?

This is Part 3 in my quest to find the next great employee. (Read Part 1 and Part 2.)

In three weeks I have received 79 applications. I need to get that down to a more manageable number before I start interviews. Here are some of the steps I have taken to weed through the potential applicants to get my list of candidates to interview.

First, to make it on our team you have to get past the front line. When you turn in an application, the sales person accepting the application initials it. If she thinks to herself, “I really hope Phil doesn’t hire this person,” she’ll also mark the application with a simple “N”.

Any application with that “N” is done. Hey, if my staff doesn’t want to work with them, why would I want them on the team?

Second, I scrutinize each application. Any app not completely filled out also goes in the NO pile. Any app with major misspellings or extremely sloppy handwriting also gets yanked. If they do sloppy work there, you can bet they’ll do sloppy work on the job.

Surprisingly, this usually weeds out 60-70% of the applicants (yeah, you’d think people would be more careful, but they often are not). The remaining applicants get a second level of scrutinizing.

At this level I’m looking at availability (our application has a place for them to list what days/hours they can work). Anyone with limited availability that doesn’t fit my needs gets tossed.

I’m also looking at their work history. Not so much for experience, but for the other signs it shows such as…

  • Loyalty – did they work at one place for a long time or bounce around from job to job?
  • Work Environment – do they prefer working in office settings, factory/warehouse or in front of the general public? With kids? With seniors? In a team setting or by themselves? These are more important to me than what they did. I need people comfortable working in front of the general public.
  • Gaps in Employment – what did they do during those gaps? Did they leave on their own accord? Did they leave for another opportunity?
  • Reasons for Leaving – I actually had an applicant who listed for all four previous jobs her reason for leaving as “had problems with the boss”. Sorry, honey, the bosses weren’t the problems.

Finally, I take the pile of potentials left and do a quick background check via the Internet, looking at the free public records available through our District Court and State of Michigan Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS). You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find all kinds of information on your potentials. This time around I eliminated three applicants because of their court records – problems I just didn’t want to bring around here.

The goal of all these steps is to eliminate as many applicants as possible so as not to waste any unnecessary time interviewing applicants you won’t want. Your time is precious, so the interview should be only for people with the greatest potential.

Out of 79 applications, 65 received letters saying…

Thank you for applying to the Toy House. We have received many qualified applicants but have only limited space available to hire new employees and do not have a position available for you at this time.

We will keep your application on file for one year should our needs change in the future.

Once again, thank you for applying and good luck in your employment search.

Fourteen lucky people got scheduled for interviews.

In Part 4 I’ll tell you how the interviews went.

-Phil

How Much Are You Giving?

Wal-Mart recently announced that it gave $467 million in charitable donations of cash & in-kind gifts to non-profits last year.

Some people will read that and say, “Wow, that’s a lot of money! Way to go Wal-Mart!”

Others will do the math and see that with $401 billion in annual sales for 2009, Wal-Mart’s donations to charity were a paltry 00.12% of revenue. “Geez Wal-Mart, is that all you have to give?”

The bigger question is… Where do you stand? Did you give more or less as a percentage? Are you supporting the non-profits in your town? Are you giving more than 00.12% or are you letting Wal-Mart take the high ground?

I only ask because $467 million is a big number and people like big numbers. You’re not making enough to give that much, but percentage-wise I’m betting you give more. Add it up and see where you stand. If you’re higher, you need to let the community know that supporting you supports them, too. If you’re lower, you have to ask if you’re doing your part to support your community. If nothing else, I guarantee that number will be enlightening.

-Phil

PS Full disclosure… for 2009 our charitable donations including cash & products totaled 0.55% of revenue – and yeah, I think that’s too low.

Comments, Anyone?

Apparently some of you have tried to leave comments on my blogs but had problems. Oops! That’s not good manners on my part. Sorry.

I think I solved the problem.

Could you please try to leave a comment on this post so that I know if it is working?? (And if you can’t, send me an email.)

Thanks bunches!

Phil

I’m Hiring Part 2 – Identifying the Right Traits

Facebook & Email Newsletter ads sent.

Radio ad running.

Applications coming in.

Now for Part 2…

My goal is to find genuinely helpful people. The application/resume only gives me hints at this. The kinds of jobs they held before tell me a little. The organizations they’ve joined tell me a little more. But I need to find out in a short period of time (the interview) if they have the traits I want.

How do I do that?

As we speak I’m working on interview questions to help me identify these traits. I posted my needs in an online group where I belong and received this list of questions from a friend who also does a lot of hiring…

  1. What are you looking to do next, and why?
  2. What type of people (team) do you want to be with and why?
  3. What would you like to learn?
  4. What are you an expert on? What are you the best at?
  5. What is the worst decision you ever made?
  6. Describe your most remarkable project/achievement.
  7. Leadership- How did you move your last organization forward? What did you do to move those around you forward?
  8. Imagine you had your own business…what would you do to improve service, improve morale, improve the bottom line, etc.?
  9. Describe an interesting problem and how you solved it.
  10. Describe a problem you foresaw, and how you helped avoid it.

Good questions, but how do you get good answers? How can I make it comfortable enough for the interviewee that she gives me honest answers?

One suggestion I received was to walk around the store with the person, a less formal setting than the office and desk approach.

Another was to put all the applicants together at once and have them talk about their experience and traits together, that you’ll see their true character show up in a group setting like this. You’ll see the ultra-competitive, the back-stabbers, the talkers, the listeners, the shy, the loud.

Another was to put them right on the job as part of the interview. See how they do cold and you’ll have an idea if they have the traits you want.

And one more intriguing idea is to ask each applicant to bring in one object that truly reflects who they are, and be prepared to explain why. Their dedication to this task will tell me a lot about their dedication to the job, not to mention a lot about who they are.

I’m leaning towards the first and last approaches, but would love to hear your thoughts…

How would you make it so that interviewees give honest and forthcoming answers that are not canned?

-Phil

I’m Hiring, Part 1 – Attracting the Right People

I need 2 or 3, or maybe 4 more part-timers to round out my staff and keep customer service levels at our high standard.

Here’s how I’m going about finding them.

First, I announced it on our Facebook Page and Email Newsletter. Here is what I said…

Do you like to interact with adults and kids alike? Are you self-motivated, dependable and reliable? Do you get satisfaction from helping others? Do you love to learn and grow personally?

You might be just who we’re looking for. As our business continues to stay strong, we need more friendly, helpful people to make our customers smile.

Stop in and fill out an application by April 10th. We’re looking for some part-time helpers to make you smile.

By doing it in those locations I’m reaching out to people who already know and love our store, and also know the committment to customer service we expect.

Next, I’ll be running a radio ad that says the following…

It’s not easy joining the Toy House Team. Oh, the application is standard, but your handwriting better be good and the info complete and accurate. And if you’re lucky enough to get an interview, you gotta prove that you’re friendly, helpful, and motivated. Training? Our expectations are tough, but the customers’ are even tougher. When you make it, though, you’ll be part of the best retail team in town. So if you have what it takes, stop by Toy House in downtown Jackson. We’re looking for people who make you smile.

You’ll notice something in both of those ads. Never once did I mention retail experience as a prerequisite for employment. But I did mention some traits I DO want. Words like “friendly”, “helpful”, “self-motivated”, “dependable”, “reliable”, “love to learn” fill out my ads.

The purpose is to speak to the people who might have the traits I want and also keep away some of the people who read those descriptions and say, “That’s just not me.”

The best applicants will put on their resumes and applications some sort of proof that they have those characteristics. And if they don’t it’s either because they didn’t hear/see my ads (which, of course, I’ll ask them) or they didn’t care.

Oh yeah, caring is one of those words, too. If they don’t care to speak to my needs in the application, they won’t care to speak to my customers’ needs on the job.

When you do your next round of hiring, spell out the traits you most want in your new employees directly in the ad. You’ll attract more people with those traits and fewer people without them.

Sir Walter Raleigh said it best, “The employer generally gets the employee he deserves.”

-Phil

The 3/50 Project – Are You On Board?

Cinda Baxter had a good idea. A really good idea. An idea that sprouted wings only seconds after she hit “publish” on her blog.

Pick 3 local retailers you would really miss if they closed. Spend $50 in those stores this month. Repeat.

It’s The 3/50 Project and it all started with a blog post on March 30th, 2009. Now, less than a full year later, The 3/50 Project is an international juggernaut with over 17,000 independent retailers registered at her website, over 53,000 fans on Facebook, and a boatload of resources you can download for FREE to help promote your fellow independents.

Cinda came to Jackson last Wednesday night to talk about the project and how it can help promote local Jackson businesses. She gave us the history behind the idea and a laundry list of great ways to bring this positive message to our community.

Ideas like this cross promotion between retail stores and restaurants…

Spend $50 in any/all of these select retail stores this month, get a $10 gift certificate to any of the following restaurants for next month (and vice versa)


Ideas like this window display…

Write on this card 3 locally owned businesses you would miss if they closed. Sign your name at the bottom. We’ll post your card in the window with all the other cards and you’ll be entered to win one of three $50 gift certificates.

(Think of the impact such a display would cause – the reinforcement to the person who wrote the card of supporting those businesses, plus an easy way to cross promote your customers’ favorite businesses to other customers.)

Ideas like this way to create evangelists for your store…

Attach five $5 gift certificates to a 3/50 Project flier with your customer’s name on the back and give to her with instructions for her to pass 4 of those gift certificates on to her friends. Tell her that for every gift certificate that comes back she’ll get entered in a drawing to win a monthly prize.

(Do you think that would get some new business in your store? Of course it would!)

And many more ideas.

It was a fabulous presentation. Unfortunately only about 15 Jackson business owners were in the paltry audience to hear such a message. But then again, 15 is a start. And we have to start somewhere.

Do you think you could round up 15 local businesses to start some sort of cross promotion in your town? Do you think you could benefit from a campaign that encourages people to think about their favorite local stores? Are you one of the favorites? Will you be in the top 3 on someone’s list? (If not, we need to talk. I might be able to help you.)

Do yourself a favor and go to The 3/50 Project. Read all about it. Sign up. Download the freebies. Promote yourself and your local retailers. To steal a phrase from my fellow blogger Jay H. Heyman, it’s a good idea, it’s a really good idea.

-Phil

PS I got to meet Cinda Baxter after the presentation. We had a wonderful conversation sharing ideas. What incredible energy and passion she has for local retailers. I’m a fan. I’ve added her blog to my must-read list. You should too!

Serving the Customers WHEN They Want to Be Served

My wife and I finished a wonderful meal at Pablos in downtown Fernandina Beach, FL. It was 8:15pm on a Friday night. As we strolled the shops of this quaint downtown on Amelia Island, one thing was noticeably absent.

No, it wasn’t the people.

The sidewalks were teaming with people out for an early evening stroll. There were easily 12-15 groups of revelers in a short three-block expanse, all of us engaged in the same activity… window shopping… because all the stores were closed!

Except for the two ice cream shops (both full of people), the bars and one jewelry store jammed with browsers, all the rest of the shops were closed, dark, not doing business, not making money. Yet, there were people with money to spend all over the place.

Are you open when there are people available or just when you are available?

And I don’t just mean your everyday hours. Do you open for special occasions in your area? Do you open when there are events on your street? Do you open for when the movie or show lets out at the theatre venue next door? Do you open early when there is a parade or morning activity on the street?

I went back this morning to the same area for the farmers market at 9am. Didn’t need much. But as we left the farmers market and strolled the same streets (still packed with people), I looked through many of the same windows of darkened shops not willing to be open when the people were there.

When these shops close for good, it won’t be “because of the economy”. Don’t let your shop think like them. When people are there, be ready to open your doors. That’s one of the first steps to great customer service.

-Phil

Yellow Pages Online Don’t Work Either

I’ve talked about how Yellow Pages (don’t) work here.

Now let’s talk about Yellow Pages Online…

Last year I let my sales rep talk me into trying out yellowpages.com for Jackson and Ann Arbor areas (where most of my traffic originates). Now I’m trying to talk my way out of it.

Last year http://www.toyhouseonline.com/ received over 44,000 unique, non-spider referrals. An underwhopping 54 of them were referred to our site by yellowpages.com. That’s an (un)incredible 0.1%.

I had 6 times that amount of traffic from a company that supplies a small, obscure type of pacifier we sell. I had twice that traffic from a company that went out of business last year (but apparently their website is still up somewhere?). In fact, there were three referral url’s ahead of yellowpages.com that I had to click just to see who they were.

When your yellow pages rep tries to sign you up for their way overpriced online services, JUST SAY NO. There are a lot better ways to spend your ad dollars.

-Phil

Systems Versus Creativity

Interesting dilemma… Are systems for handling situations and creativity mutually exclusive?

Here is the situation.

One of my vendors informed me that we needed to send in photos of defective parts to get replacements. Makes sense. They need to protect their costs by knowing that they are replacing only that which needs to be replaced.

Our first customer to have a problem after this policy began lived over an hour away. They had flaws in the product that, while usable, were not what they had paid for. It was a special order item so we would need to order new parts for them, no matter which ones were damaged. So we asked if they would kindly take some digital photos and email us to save us a 140 minute round trip. They did and the parts were ordered.

The second customer was a mile away and had ordered an in-stock item. When she called with a problem, we asked her to send photos, which upset her. Why should she have to send photos? Why couldn’t we come out there and snap them ourselves? Heck, why couldn’t we bring her a replacement and take the photos when we got back to the store?

Good question.

The solution to the first problem was not necessarily the exact way to handle the second problem.

Our mistake was that we implemented a system of “hows” before answering all the “who, what, where, when” and most importantly “why”.

How do we get a replacement part? By sending photos to the company. Who takes the photos? Anyone. Why did we ask the first customer to take the photos? Because she was over an hour away and we would need to order the replacement no matter what. Why did we ask the second customer to take photos? Because that’s how we did it the first time. Do you see the flaw in this thinking?

Before you implement a new system, make sure you carefully point out why you do things a certain way, and what the ultimate outcome should be. And empower your staff to use their imagination and creativity to come up with solutions that make the customer happy while following the spirit of the system.

-Phil

PS The very next day the second customer had a replacement, we had photos to send, and everyone lived happily ever after.