Photo by Stefaan

The other day, I came across this article in the Sunday Washington Post: Obama’s critics are questioning whether he “deserves a vacation.”  Apparently, if the State of the Union is less than perfect, he should be denied rest until he turns things around.

From what I’ve read and seen, presidents including Obama work ten or twelve hours a day, sometimes much, much more.  And even when they are on vacation, they are never *really* on vacation. They’re always on call.

You can argue politics or question Obama’s decisions–and I’ve been done both–but I can’t see questioning his right to, and his fundamental need for, a break, periodic time off to rest and rejuvenate, have time to himself, reconnect with his family so that he can come back refreshed, better equipped to lead our country.

After all, how would you like it if your vacation leave was contingent on turning your organization or your country around? Are you up for that challenge? Would the challenge make any sense?

From my HR perspective, it would be really interesting if management only extended vacation leave to people who exceeded all stakeholders’ idealized standards of perfect performance. But I hardly think it would be motivating. Or fair. Or worth it. Or anything else.

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Last week traveling to a family event, I had extra time on my hands so I took the scenic route. On a back road, I stopped for a cold lemonade, then on a whim, pulled into the old country church across the road. I parked and wandered through the cemetery, snapping pictures of interesting headstones, like one that said “date of birth unknown.” Since his mourners didn’t try to estimate, I was left wondering if he’d died at age five, 3o, 50 or 90. Of course, my heart panged when I saw the many infant memorials from earlier times. And I was drawn into the drama and history, such as when one spouse’s birth and death information neatly occupied the left side of the stone but 45 years later, the right side remained blank except for a name; probably, she  remarried and was buried elsewhere, leaving her first husband to rest in peace, alone.

But the biggest surprise to me was coming across the gravestone of a former employee, Wendy, who died last year. Wendy was a great part-time counselor who left us amicably about five years ago. I didn’t even know she passed away. It was such an odd coincidence that I would stumble upon her grave during  my random visit.  It especially hit home since she was a year younger than me (which is to say, very young!!). And it had already been an odd day since earlier I’d run into a former HR candidate at PetsMart, followed by someone we’d terminated.

Some people say there are no coincidences; everything has meaning and things happen for a reason. If that is true, why did I find Wendy’s grave? And on the same day I ran into two other past applicants/employees. What was the message?

The message I was left with had to do with connectedness and karma. Walking through so much history, I had a sense of connection to the past as well as our ancestors’ legacies to us here and now. The sense only magnified when I saw Wendy’s stone and realized how interconnected we all are, constantly, and how our decisions and actions follow us and pop up unexpectedly at any time.  I was relieved and happy we’d parted on good terms. I said a brief prayer for her parents, who must be still grieving her loss.

All the more reason to treat people right and try to follow the golden rule, I reflected, so that when ghosts of employees past come to visit, we feel at ease and at peace.

Rather than haunted.

Rest in peace, Wendy.

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HR Pro Victorio Milian has reminded us several times to “Put Up or Shut Up,” to publicly declare our intentions and publicly report on our progress (or lack thereof). As such, I wanted to publicly state that I am committed to:

Improving the Candidate Experience

It’s not that I’ve done a horrible job with this. Over the years, I’ve employed these kinds of approaches in the hopes that candidates would walk away with a good taste in their mouths.

• Welcome. Our front desk staff are friendly and cordial to interviewees, greeting them and offering something cold or hot to drink. And other employees often stop to say hello and introduce themselves and chat, which sets a very nice tone.
• Respect their time.  I start my interviews promptly–after all, we expect the other party to show up on time! On the rare occasions I run late, I apologize and explain.
• Setting. We meet in my office, not a cold conference room.
• Tone. I keep my interview tone friendly, not adversarial, as I wrote in one of my earlier posts.
• Parting gifts. If my company doesn’t appear to be a good fit for whatever reason,  I often refer people to our sister agencies. I keep a list of other organizations for this purpose and can explain which companies might have day schedules, pay a higher rate without the degree requirement, or be a better match for their transportation situation.

So I’ve done all right in a lot of ways and feel gratified by positive and grateful feedback from candidates about their experiences. But I know from both  job-seeker and HR blog posts and from  Gerry Crispin’s session at the May, 2010 RecruitDC that most of us still have room for  improvement. A whole lot of room, actually. So my Put Up or Shut Up commitment is to do just that.

One area I have particularly struggled with is communication with applicants. It’s  a lot easier–of course– with top talent.   But often, I have fallen short with applicants that are not my quick picks. Knowing that, during the last year I’ve also added these strategies:

• ATS.  We implemented  an Applicant Tracking System. Oh, I know, they get a bad rap sometimes for lots of valid reason. But I’ve been doing nonprofit HR for a minute, and  with all the hats we wear, I know there is no way to  humanly communicate with all these thousands of people  each year without one. I’ve never managed to come anywhere close, in fifteen years, until now.  My ATS is a godsend.
• Own it. I changed the  ATS default so that my what I call  ‘Thanks but no thanks’ letters  [known  to some people as  rejection letters] originate from my real email address, not an @no-reply.
• Own it, part 2. I include my real name and title on my response. It keeps me honest.
• Be real: I attempt to write in natural language and personalize each email just a little.
• Give feedback: Whenever possible, I tell people why they haven’t been selected, whether it was lack of a driver’s license for a job with involving driving or the fact that their minimum salary requirement is three times our stated range.
• If appropriate, I refer them to alternate positions or encourage them to apply for future openings. As before, I refer them elsewhere if I have a genuine lead.

I haven’t been able to provide a “wow” response to every candidate all of the time. Recently I was looking for people with specific training and X amount of experience in my field.  Applicants who had neither qualification received  boilerplate emails–though they did originate from my e-mail address with my signature. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, but given the amount of time I had for the task, I’d have to say that any response is way  better than no response.  I think it was a decent compromise and the right use of my time.

So I’m focusing on this, improving, and will continue to find additional ways to do better, though I know it will never be perfect. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

And what about you? What’s your Put Up or Shut Up? Or if recruiting or hiring are  a part of your job, how do you enhance candidates’ experiences?

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I came across this BBC news story about people who have experts ghostwrite their online dating profiles. The article explores pros and cons, but there is a strong theme that having someone write your profile is dishonest and unethical.

Why?

How is it different than contracting to have anything else ghost-written, most pointedly (since this is an HR blog) one’s resume? Many people need assistance packaging, presenting, marketing themselves. It is only unethical, in my opinion, if the resulting resume or dating profile doesn’t match up with reality. Yes, I graduated cum laude from Harvard. Yes, I am a 23 year old 5′8″ natural blonde. Yes, I garnered twenty three billion dollars in sales.

And it’s dishonest if you claim credit for what you didn’t produce, if you tell  your date that yes, you conceived the concept for that amazing ad and you wrote the copy,  because you have a lot of talents, three of which are creativity, writing, and design.

But that’s just my opinion. What do you think?

photo by inju

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This being the month in which we celebrate Fathers Day, I’m thinking about my father, his many talents and his legacy to my life. My dad is brilliant,  adventurous and athletic. He tells a great story, speaks at least four languages well, and can get by in another half dozen.

My Dad in Africa

Dad is witty, entertaining and at times downright hilarious.  I can thank him for my sense of humor;  I’m doing my best every day to pass this gift on to my own son. My dad appreciated my fiesty tomboyishness, taught me to drive stick shift, how to ride a motorcycle. I’ve purchased two motor scooters because of fond memories of our Hondas 50 and 125 when we lived in Africa.

I also credit him with some of the best HR advice I’ve ever received. A few years ago, my dad asked me how some of my investments were doing and I was mortified to admit that I had no clue. That’s when he made this observation:

“It wouldn’t hurt you to read the business section.”

He’s probably long forgotten the conversation, but I haven’t. Since then, I seek out the business section of the Washington Post as well as the Business and Politics edition of our local paper, the Gazette. I’m reading more business books and seeing my HR role in a larger,  more strategic  and bigger-picture light. Thanks, Dad.

When I applied his advice broadly, what I learned was: to get ahead and be taken serious in HR, it helps to read the business section. To think of yourself as a business person. To bring your business acumen to the table.

So I wonder: What’s the best (HR) advice you’ve ever received?

And what legacy can you credit to your dad?

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Guest Post by Ben Eubanks

I once worked with an HR person who was, shall we say, less than friendly. She constantly sowed dissent among the department. And yes, sowing dissent isn’t something that’s easily recognizable, but she was a pro at it. Her demeanor was rude and obnoxious. At first I was angry and upset at her behavior. But then I realized a few things that (somewhat) helped me to feel sorry for her.

* She had no computer skills in a job that demanded them.
* She dealt with worker’s comp claims all day long (not the most fun part of this profession).
* She had been doing the exact same job for an untold number of years before I even got there.

So, what’s the point?

Well, I wish there was a happy ending to that story. But that’s it, really. All I can do is encourage you not to have people like this hanging around Read the rest of this entry »

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My son chillaxin'

Today I’m feeling very lucky. I’m on sabbatical, sitting on a tropical patio, listening to the birds, sipping my morning coffee.

A  tiny percentage of US companies offer sabbaticals, and fewer are paid. At my organization, after ten years on the job, all full-time staff get three months of paid leave, in addition to their regular leave. We also get a $500 vacation expense reimbursement at two, five, ten, fifteen (etc.) Read the rest of this entry »

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Yesterday, my family and I flew from Washington, DC, to Atlanta and from there, on to San Jose’, Costa Rica. As we walked up to the gate in Atlanta, my husband struck up a conversation with a young couple, asking if the gate agent had been seen. I kept looking at the young man, thinking, “That guy looks just like Ben Madden,” an HR pro I met at HRevolution and RecruitDC. Finally I had to ask.

Yes, it was Ben. He and his fiancee were also headed to Costa Rica and in fact ended up sitting directly behind me on the plane. Read the rest of this entry »

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When I’m at unconference events or talking within the online HR community, I often hear people ask, “Why don’t HR people use social media?”

I’ve been thinking about that since the last time I heard the question at RecruitDC last week. We might feel that many of our peers are not on Read the rest of this entry »

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Looking for videos to use when teaching our managers about onboarding, I came across this semi-funny depiction of a horrendous welcome to a woman’s first day on the job. It’s semi-funny rather than hilarious because it hits a little too close to home for many of us. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had at least one first day (okay, first week)  that rivaled this one.

If you have horror stories, I don’t mind hearing them, but I’d rather hear great stories of onboarding done right. Please share your comments, if you have any. Happy Friday.

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