Read This If You Want To Hire Someone Or Get Hired
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I've been asked a few times more than usual, lately, about what employers are looking for in a candidate.
I've had some friends reach out about specific jobs for which they were interviewing, but I was also just on a panel with Denver Public Schools talking to some of their awesome teachers.
They wanted to talk about what their graduates should know before they hit the workforce.
I definitely was the youngest panelist there.
I definitely didn't agree with everyone.
I definitely didn't want to talk about MS Office Suite the whole time.
So, I told them my own rules for hiring.
Hiring Characteristics I've Hired For:
Aptitude
Aptitude asks: can you do the work?
This isn't about skill set, this is about the capacity you have to learn and run with the skill set.
Attitude
Attitude asks, when faced with a challenge, does this candidate complain, sink into a hole, and do their job reluctantly? Or does this candidate see the challenge as an opportunity to grow, develop a new skill, or survive a new experience? In it's most basic sense, attitude asks "does this person add or subtract energy from the team?"
Cultural Fit
This is a hard one. For some reason, people think that culture is the ping-pong table, the Keurig, the snacks in the office kitchen, the 401(k) with employer match, or the nerf guns. These are perks, not culture.
Culture asks "how will you treat each other when the work gets hard?"
Culture is about treating others with respect, treating your office environment with respect, and thinking about the greater good of the company.
Skillset
This is different from aptitude. This is literally "does this candidate know what to do when we hire them?" For many jobs, this might not be relevant. For some, it might be absolutely critical.
If you're hiring a neurosurgeon, you're going to hire someone who knows what the hell they're doing--not someone who can learn on the job. If you're hiring a construction worker, they just need to be trainable.
My final rule on hiring . . .
Trial Run
It's really, really hard to accurately gauge someone's candidacy in an interview.
Some people interview really well and then don't deliver.
Some people interview really poorly but that skill might not be relevant for the position you're hiring.
So, if someone has what I think I need, on the surface, it's time to set up a small project.
"You can't work for me until you've worked for me."
- Seth Godin
I find a small, low-risk, low-budget project that will test the skills/attitude/aptitude/cultural fit or whatever I'm looking for.
I might also just pick a short time period, like 30 - 90 days, where we have a "trial run."
Either of these options gives me a real-world project that will help me see the candidate's actual work.
Consider this:
Employers are taking a risk when they hire someone. If they bring you on immediately as a W2 employee, they are accepting liabilities like unemployment and onboarding costs. Employers are incentivized to choose wisely.
It's better for you and for them if you both take your time and find the right fit.
It's not a formula, it's some combination of these things.
Most companies/agencies/etc. are hiring for some combination of the 4 characteristics I listed above; aptitude, attitude, cultural fit, skillset.
It's up to the company and industry to communicate what ratio these fall in. This should be evident by auditing your values and mapping them to the company's values.
A scrappy startup is not going to have the same values and needs as a children's hospital.
If all of these things are at least directionally aligned, and you're able to, toss a trial run on top for best results.
Cheat Code:
There's also a way around this process.
It's a lot less work and most of the time it even works better.
It's called a referral.
If someone did a great job for me, it's really likely that they have friends who would do a great job, too.
2 Minute Action:
Even if you're not hiring or looking to be hired, take 2 minutes to outline your values.
Here's a quick and easy exercise:
Let's make up a point system.
You have 10 points.
You now have to allocate them in the 4 categories mentioned above (aptitude, attitude, cultural fit, skillset).
How would you assign them?
That will tell you what you value which might help you in hiring or aligning with another organization's values.
Read This If You Think Corona Virus Will Impact Your Work
So, I'm going to share something you already know but might not always apply.
There are things that are in your control and things that aren't.
Getting really clear on what's what can help you focus your energy on the things that will improve your position.
This might be in your daily life, it might be at work, or it might be in something specific that's going on right now.
The context doesn't matter in this case.
Specifically, let's talk about the Corona Virus.
Yep. Went there.
Things you can't control about it:
- What the CDC says/does.
- What President Trump says/does.
- What the WHO says/does.
- What other people do/don't do.
Things you can control about it:
- Wash your damn hands.
- Assess how it will likely impact your career/job.
- Adjust what you're doing to accommodate this reality.
2 Minute Action:
What's the number 1 thing you're stressed about, right now?
It might not be the Corona Virus, but we can take this important lesson away from this insane situation we're in.
What can you not control about the situation?
What can you control about it?
What steps will you take to adjust to reality?
Read This If You Think You Should Be Paid What You're Worth
This has come up a few times, recently, so I figured I should talk about it.
There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself.
There is nothing wrong with getting paid what you're worth.
But here's the issue I'm seeing:
Just because you have 10 years of experience and a master's degree doesn't mean that the business will need to pay you for it.
I know that's upsetting.
Here's what I mean:
If you have 10 years of sales training and then you want to be a news anchor, the news station can't pay you what you used to make in sales.
Why not?
- Sales is a different industry that values a different skill set.
- The news team has a budget for the position they're trying to fill that maps to the value that position provides the news station.
That means that even if you were a news anchor with 500 years of experience and a gazillion 5-star references, that news team has to decide how much the news anchor position is worth to the station.
You might be overqualified.
You might be underqualified.
Understand that this has nothing to do with your value as a human being. That's different.
What we're talking about is your monetary value to a company in a mostly capitalist economy.
In this case, the market decides what you're worth--not you!
This is pretty disorienting to some people because many of us were told that we'd be more marketable with an advanced degree, or that this particular certification would ensure we'd earn more.
That might be true in some cases or industries, but it's because that's what the business has chosen to value--not because you've earned a skill that the entire economy values.
Please do not conflate self-worth with your position's worth to your company.
2 Minute Action:
Instead of asking yourself "am I getting paid what I'm worth," ask yourself "how valuable is my position?"
If you're an entrepreneur, this is still true for you. You are still accountable for out-earning everyone else in your company.
You can answer this in 2 minutes. The answer is your salary.
If you don't think it's enough or aligned with your value to the company, it's time to talk to your supervisor.
Start with "I'd like to make $xx.xx. How might we make that happen in our company?"
The answer might be "that's not possible in your role," which is great news! You just found out that you need to change paths.
That's way better than spending 10 years in a position that's not valued.