hr

Before you hire

There’s something deeply gratifying about offering someone a job. Even posting a new position feels good, because it often means that your company is growing and/or that you have an opportunity to make your team stronger. But before you hire, be brutally honest when thinking about the questions below. 

Are you hiring for the right reasons? 

Clearly state the desired outcomes of adding a new team member, such as meeting an increased influx of projects, decreasing development time of new features, or breaking into new verticals. I would advise against hiring just for the sake of demonstrating growth, as it often is not fair to the new employees and it can make it challenging to ensure that all team members buy into the mission and vision and pull in the same direction with a sense of purpose. 

Is your current team optimized? 

If you’re not getting the best work out of your team now, throwing another resource at it won’t fix the problem. “If we only had an extra person to do X…” should result in a thorough analysis of how the existing team is spending their time, so that you can identify bottlenecks and opportunities for internal improvement. Here are some additional tips on how to assess staffing needs. 

Is the manager equipped to coach a new person? 

No matter how great your new hire might be, if their manager is not willing or able to not just provide a stellar onboarding experience, but to continue to coach them effectively and consistently, you’re neither doing your company nor the new employee a favor. If there’s a good case for making the hire, but you don’t trust that the manager will be able to handle it, you need to solve the latter challenge first. 

Is your interview process robust enough to ensure that you hire the right person?

In order to avoid some of the most common hiring mistakes, such as not being rigorous enough in your process, be sure that you’ve established a system to ensure that you will find the right person for the job. For us, the process typically consists of at least three rounds of interviews with multiple team members, including one round that is solely focused on determining culture fit. In addition, we always ask for deliverables that are pertinent to the role, such as a technical assessment or a research project. Finally, if you’re not willing to commit to only making an offer if you can’t picture yourself without the candidate, perhaps it’s time to reconsider if you are indeed ready to hire. 

Adding any employee requires a major investment, so be sure that you are prepared to get a maximum return for the company and for your new team member. 

What about you? What else should you think about prior to hiring?

What questions do you ask in your check-ins and performance reviews?

You probably have quarterly check-ins and annual performance reviews with the people who report to you, in addition to your own cadence of one on ones. All of those interactions are intended to help your team members in their professional development and to ensure that their goals and the company’s goals are aligned. Typically, the questions asked include accomplishments since the last meeting, goals for the upcoming review period, and areas of improvement. We also always ask for examples of how the employee exemplified the company values, as it is crucial for us to put our company culture top of mind at all times. This format has worked pretty well in the past, but since it’s advisable to revisit your practices from time to time in order to identify opportunities for improvement, I’ve been thinking about additional, more granular questions to add. Here are a few ideas.  

For the reviewee: 

Why did you/didn’t you reach your goals? 

This question refers to the tangible, measurable goals that were set. What you want to look for in the employee’s answer is their locus of control, which is absolutely vital to their success. If they haven’t achieved their goals, do they exclusively blame external factors (which, admittedly, can play a role) or do they take ownership of the things that they could have done differently? 

What lessons did you learn last week/last quarter?

An engaged employee always strives to become better. Even when things didn’t pan out as planned, they still ensure that they learn from the experience. 

What did you do last week/quarter to hone your craft?

Similarly, since you expect your team members to invest in their own professional development, you’ll want to include this question in your check-ins and reviews. Every person in your company has room to grow, and those who believe that they no longer have things to learn and improve on are probably not the ones who help your company grow and become the best place to work. 

What are you willing to be held accountable for? 

When setting goals for the next review period, you want to set a clear frame of accountability and responsibility. Goals have to be realistic but also ambitious. Similar to the “why did you/didn’t you reach your goals” question, the answer reveals how much of their achievements the team member perceives to be in their control. It’s also important to not just discuss top level goals, such as revenue generated, but also things like activity levels and pipeline, or development velocity and maximum number of fixes needed, depending on the role. 

What are you willing to do to reach your goals? 

You may augment the previous question with this one in order to understand what type of effort the employee is willing to make. For instance, if they’re not on track, are they open to coming in an hour earlier or stay an hour later to see if different times for sales calls render better results? Would they commit to taking a class in order to improve their skill set in a particular area? 

How are your professional goals and the company’s goals aligned? 

Employee engagement is a reflection of how the team member’s goals are in line with the company goals. Asking the question above helps you realize if the employee understands your organization’s goals and vision and if they perceive any misalignments with their own ambitions. 

For the manager:

A one on one, quarterly check-in, or annual performance review should result in an agreement between the team member and their manager. It should never solely focus on the employee’s goals and responsibilities, but include the manager’s role in the success of the employee as well. 

What am I willing to do to help my employee excel?

Since you’re asking the employee what they’re willing to do in order to be successful in their role, the manager should also be thinking about their level of commitment to the employee. Sharing with the team members what you’re willing to do to help them makes them feel supported and can reinforce their level of accountability. Can you commit to spending a certain amount of time every week helping them with their demos? Would you be willing to provide them a list of resources in order to improve a particular skill and then give feedback on their progress? Are you able to share some of the secrets of your own success or some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way? Contemplating the levels of your own commitment should be part of the conversation.

How are the employee’s professional goals and the company’s goals aligned? Where do you perceive a misalignment?

An honest discussion between the team member and the manager must include the topic of alignment. The manager should have a solid understanding of the direction of the company, goals, challenges, and opportunities. Should there be a perceived misalignment with regard to career trajectory or values, it’s best to have an open discussion in order to avoid assumptions, which are the killer of productive and positive relationships.

Check-ins in particular should always be a productive dialog between the manager and their team member, resulting in mutually agreed upon goals and action items and a commitment to hold up their respective ends of the bargain. 

What about you? What questions would you recommend including?

Five signs of employee engagement

As I mentioned in a previous post, “employee engagement” is arguably one of the most misunderstood terms among managers, as it often gets confused with employee happiness. In reality, engagement should measure how much an employee’s goals and values and those of your company are aligned. If they are well aligned, you have a foundation to hold each other accountable. Engagement without accountability, on the other hand, is bound to result in entitlement.  

What signs can you look for in order to determine if an employee is truly engaged? Note that just because someone is not exhibiting all of the behaviors listed here, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are disengaged, but these are some positive signals.

They take an interest in what’s going on in the company as a whole

An engaged employee tends to consider themselves as part of the entire team, not just as a member of their department. They are genuinely interested in learning about the company strategy and how the different arms of the company support it. They may read daily and weekly updates in Slack, attend product demos and/or marketing webinars, and subscribe to the company newsletter and blog.

They participate

An engaged team member ensures that they participate in discussions if they have something valuable to contribute. They try to avoid multitasking when interacting with others. While I recommend making it clear that nobody is expected to participate in every volunteer activity or team building activity, you do want to talk to team members who are not regularly participating in much of anything so you can determine why that is. 

They seek information and feedback

The more engaged your employees are, the more they strive to become better, not just in their particular role, but as a contributor to the success of the organization. Therefore, they research the industry, ask probing questions, and thrive on feedback. Be sure to make yourself available to provide it to them on a regular basis. 

They get out of their comfort zones

Engaged employees understand that in order for the company to grow, they need to grow. As a result, they are not just okay with being pushed out of their comfort zones – they actively seek out opportunities to do so. They may volunteer to do presentations, even if they don’t like public speaking. Or they may mentor a team mate even though they prefer heads down work over human interaction. 

They live the company values

Engaged employees understand how important it is to internalize and exhibit the company values. They live and breathe them, especially when nobody is watching. 

A highly engaged employee, whose goals are aligned with your company’s, thrives on accountability, as they take ownership in the business. Be sure to hold up your end of the bargain by coaching them, challenging them, listening to their ideas, and allowing them to stretch themselves. 

What about you? How can you tell if an employee is engaged?

desk

Think HR doesn’t impact the bottom line? Think again!

In the software industry, particularly in the startup arena, the focus tends to be on the product, services, and clients. Sometimes, the entire focus is on those areas, because they are the money makers, right? Too often, the “backoffice” is considered a necessary evil and a begrudged expense. Sure, HR is there to ensure that we adhere to protocols and employment laws and to make sure we get paid. But HR doesn’t really affect the bottom line. Right? Wrong! Let’s think about it a bit more.

Help define what culture means

Your company culture can make or break your business. The importance of having the right people on the bus can’t be underestimated. However, it is also crucial for everyone to understand what company culture is: the way people act when nobody’s watching. It’s knowing the right thing to do simply because everyone shares the same values. One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve encountered is that culture pertains to tread desks in the office, craft beers on tap, or a casual dress code. The moment when superficial things are confused with culture is when you need to intervene, and HR can be a valuable ally in this effort by asking employees (and candidates) to explain what culture means to them, what your company’s values are and how to measure alignment. After all, jeans and t-shirts, pool tables and free lunches won’t do anything to grow your company if the team doesn’t share the same values in terms of work ethic, empathy compassion, passion, humility, drive, and desire to always get better.

Identify the right candidates and help others to do the same

Any hire is a significant investment on several levels. The right hire can be a game changer, while the wrong hire can result in lost productivity and compromised morale, which inevitably negatively impacts the bottom line. HR plays a key role in recruiting the gamechangers who have the right skillset and aptitude, and, more importantly, the right attitude. But that’s not all. Your HR reps can help your team members become good interviewers. Solicit their advice and their help so that everyone interviewing, especially with regard to culture checks, knows the best questions to ask (hint: it’s not “What part of town do you live in?”) in order to determine if a candidate can excel in your company and can help your company excel.

Assist in developing compensation structure

Your HR manager has a lot of data at their fingertips and frequently researches emerging trends and compensations for each position. Is your current sales commission structure the optimal way to achieve your company’s revenue and profit goals? Is it fair to all parties involved? Is there a better way? Consider involving your HR manager in those discussions and let them help you come up with some new ideas and options.

Measure employee engagement and help make appropriate changes

One of the most misleading definitions of employee engagement is that it’s the level of employee happiness and enthusiasm. While this is an ideal outcome of engagement, it is not engagement itself. Employee engagement is measured by how closely the company’s goals and values are aligned with those of the employees. This is why it’s so important for your HR team to conduct engagement check-ins with each team member and to identify any areas that need to be addressed in order to identify and hopefully rectify any misalignments. For example, if someone expresses confusion about their career trajectory in the company, the HR manager should bring this to the attention of the manager and discuss if and how a path that benefits both the employee and the company can be mapped out. Or, if someone is unclear about how they can most strongly impact the revenue goals of the company, both the HR manager and the direct manager can help paint a better picture and provide action items. Misalignment can cost you dearly (literally), so HR taking charge through engagement check-ins is key.

Be smart about perks

HR typically presents a budget to the CEO that includes a breakdown of perks that the company offers to employees. These may include things like anniversary gifts, lunches, and professional development stipends. Perks don’t just include material things, but also company events, teleworking, and other social initiatives. It all sounds wonderful. The more perks you provide, the happier your employees will be and the better they’ll perform, right? Well, it’s not quite that simple. It takes skill to find the right balance and invest in the right things at the right time. For example, if your cultural climate is experiencing a shift towards taking things for granted instead of gratitude, it may be beneficial to focus on a reset and simplify the perks a little. Implementing the right things at the right time requires that HR has a keen understanding of the cultural pulse of the company, financial situation, and tracking towards company goals.

Your human resources department does so much more than clerical and legal work, so much more than keeping you in the clear from lawsuits. By championing your company values and ensuring alignment between individuals, their departments, and the business as a whole, HR has a significant impact on the bottom line.

What are your thoughts?

 

Three common hiring mistakes

My two part post about interviewing covered which questions to ask candidates in order to determine whether they are the right fit for the job and your team and what other things to consider in order to ensure a successful interview (note that an interview is successful if you determine mutual fit, whether the outcome is a hire or a rejection on either part). Today, let’s take a look at some common hiring mistakes and how to avoid them.

“Selling” the company or the job

If you’re proud of your company and enthusiastic about your job, it’s only natural to want to brag about it, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Be authentic in the interview. However, starting the conversation by trying to sell the candidate on the company or the job can make you look more desperate than you actually are and put the candidate in a frame of mind where they feel that they already got the job, which then can really skew the rest of the interview. Be as transparent as possible and point out both the positives and the challenges associated with the position and ensure to paint a realistic picture of what’s expected from the role, what you’re looking for in an ideal candidate, and what it’s like to work for your company. Don’t just talk in abstract terms, but be sure to provide specific examples.

Fast tracking a candidate

There he is – your perfect candidate. Finally! They seem to check all of the boxes in terms of qualifications on their resume. The interview went exceptionally well. You’ve been looking for someone like this for weeks, maybe months! Surely, if you don’t make an offer quickly, someone else will snatch them up! And while you typically pride yourself in a thorough hiring process and in being extremely selective, you feel like you have to fast track this candidate and skip what would be the typical next step in the process.

For instance, you may want to schedule an immediate follow-up interview or even make an offer even if the candidate has not followed up yet with a thank you. I would consider this a mistake, because the follow-up from the candidate can tell you a lot about their listening skills, their understanding of how they can contribute to the success of the company, and the degree to which they are interested in this particular job. Furthermore, extending an offer even if a candidate hasn’t even sent a thank you can convey the impression of you setting the bar pretty low. If customer service means something to you, you want to make sure that you hire people who will deliver top notch service anytime and not take anything for granted. Wait for the follow-up.

The same goes for next steps in terms of assessments. You should always have the candidate complete a writing assessment, as written communication is essential in almost every job. Think about a task that allows you to better gauge the candidate’s resourcefulness and aptitude for the position they’re applying for. For example, ask sales candidates do a sales demonstration, present engineering candidates with coding challenges, or have a support tech candidate research a common issue. Don’t skip those specific tests just because you fear that the candidate will be turned off when having to jump through an additional hoop. If someone is a true fit for your company and is excited about the prospect of working for you, they will want to make sure that they put themselves through relevant tests, because after all, accepting a new job is a risk and an investment for the candidate, too, and not just for you. In addition, your ideal candidate will want to prove to you that they are willing to go the extra mile for the opportunity. If they don’t, they may not be as interested as you thought – and that’s fine, too.

The panic or capitulation hire

You’ve stuck to your hiring principles. You put candidates through a thorough process. Alas, some of who you thought were excellent candidates didn’t follow up, didn’t submit the deliverables that you asked for, or did poorly on assessments. You just can’t seem to be able to find the right candidate. Your HR reps and maybe even some other managers or employees are starting to question if you’re simply asking too much. After all, they’ve brought dozens of candidates to you. And now, doubts are creeping into your head and you might think “Maybe the ideal candidate is just not out there.” The next person who walks through the door does a fine job. Subconsciously, you may even ask them easier questions in the interview or be more lenient when evaluating their assessments. Why? Maybe because you’re starting to panic, since it’s been months and you really need to fill this position. Or you simply resign yourself to the idea that you won’t be able to get your perfect hire. Let’s be honest: a panic or capitulation hire rarely works out. Don’t lower your standards. Continue your search until you have hired the right person for the job and for your company.

You will make hiring mistakes. And you may even accidentally end up with a really good hire despite your mistakes. However, always approach each interview from a standpoint of whether there is a mutual fit. If it’s not a yes, it’s a no. Whoever you bring on board will have to be treated as a major investment, not as a compromise.

What about you? What hiring mistakes have you encountered?