Over a year ago, I wrote a post on top ten resume oops. Number eight was:

8. Gmail is free mail.

“From: Michelle [mailto: hotsexyluv@whatever.com]

My background, experience and knowledge would be a benefit to your orgainzation.”

Michelle, thanks, but I’m actually not so sure your experience and knowledge is a good fit for this job. First, go to Gmail and set up a plain old boring account for MichelleSmith.  Then spell check. Good luck!

Now, obviously, Michelle wasn’t her real name and I had altered both sides of her email address, but you get the idea.

Today, 14 months later, I received this comment on my old post:

My immediate thought was: Ben Eubanks. But then I thought it could be Andrew. Or maybe David. Or my cousin Steve except he doesn’t have much reason to be on my blog.

Then I noticed the prime suspects were all male. Why is that? Are men bigger pranksters or do they just have a better sense of humor all around? What do you think?

Sitting on the fence

Several times in the last year, candidates or new hires have bailed at the last minute, leaving my organization and its clients in the lurch. The job they really actually wanted came through at the last minute, so they apologize and give lavish explanations about how they need to take care of themselves and their families, have more perfect working conditions, pay back their student loans. They explain, often at length, sometimes contradicting what they told us in their interviews. (It’s your passion to save the flying squirrels? Hey, I’m all for wildlife, but I don’t remember that coming out in our earlier conversation. When we met, you were all about helping people with developmental disabilities.)

So people change their minds, and that’s fine, I guess. People certainly have the right to quit their jobs at any time for any reason.

But just because you have the right to do something doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

To add some perspective, let’s think about how job-seekers would respond if I were to rescind a candidate’s’ employment offer at the last minute because a better prospect came along. “I am so sorry, Ms. Brown,” I would say. “Forgive me, but the person we really wanted all along just happened to apply  yesterday!  She lives right down the street, she’s already covered on her husband’s health insurance, and she’s willing to work for $10,000 less! Honestly, it would be irresponsible not to proceed with her. I’m sorry, but I’m sure you understand.”

Can you imagine the scathing tweets and blog posts we would read?

Okay, I’m being a little facetious and I understand that there is a power differential in the employer/potential employee relationship, and so I can’t pretend it’s an equivalent scenario when I turn the tables.

But still, I hope I’ve made my point.

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar

So I was checking a reference and I wanted to ask the source about the candidate’s ability to keep written and computerized records.

“Tell me about Maryamu’s documentation skills,” I said.

“Oh, she’s legal!” came the quick reply.

Um, not quite what I meant. But thanks, sort of,  for the thought. I’m sure you meant well.

photo by billaday

Years ago, I dined with a couple who had two rambunctious toddlers. The boys spent most of the time climbing over the top of our booth and crawling under the table. That is to say, when they weren’t knocking things over or interrupting adult conversation. It was very distracting.

On the drive home, my partner and I turned to each other and declared somewhat pompously and self-righteously: “Our kids would never act like that!”

Fast forward several years when I became a mom and despite my best efforts, my own son was known to be quite distracting and disruptive when we went out to eat.  You know what I learned? Three things. 1.) I really don’t need to be that self-righteous. 2.) The developmental level of most toddlers is not conducive to sitting quietly for hours and hours while adults share good conversation over a leisurely meal and a bottle of wine. 3.) And more to the point: it is not so easy to raise perfect children.

News flash: If it was so easy, everyone would do it.

That story came to mind when I read April Dowling’s recent PseudoHR blog post, Customer service is like, hard and stuff. April, I just have to respectfully disagree.

If customer service was easy, every business would have great customer service.

I would submit that customer service is hard. Customer service is not simple, nor is it something you set up one time, forget and go on. It is an ongoing process, a journey, one that requires vision, planning, systems, training, continuous attention, energy as well as significant and devoted resources.

I wish I could offer flawless customer service in my department, but let me share the reality: every day someone is unhappy with me or my associate. Every day, we fall short in someone’s eyes despite our best efforts.

Somewhat tangentially (and totally unrelated to April, let me assure you), you know what else? The customer isn’t always right. Maybe we should stop oiling the squeaky wheel when the squeaky wheel is disrespectful or crosses over the line or is trying to play us.  Sometimes you need to be prepared set a boundary or say no or kiss a customer good-bye when they bully your employees. Or when the cost of keeping them is more than they are potentially worth.

Do you agree? What do you think?

photo by James Cridland

Today something unprecedented happened.

Over the course of the day, three different people mentioned they’d looked up my blog. For the record, they were a new hire, a potential vendor and a candidate for a position involving technology. And they all said complimentary things, which I must say felt really nice and very affirming, despite any [arguably] mixed motives influencing their praise.

Did I mention this was unprecedented?

Outside of HRevolution–which is heavily attended by HR bloggers–it’s never happened before.

So I don’t mind saying I was feelin’ pretty fly. And justifiably so, wouldn’t you say?

Like I’m a serious Blogger with a capital B.

That was, until I checked out my blog, thinking, who knows, maybe one of these people left me a comment I should answer right away.  And when I looked around my site, I was immediately hit over the head with four different spelling and punctuation errors in a single recent post.

D’oh!

Ouch!

As they say, pride goeth before a fall.

I quickly figured out it was a post I written on my little netbook, which is a slow, tedious, frustrating process at best.  But still, I was mortified.

After all, there are no excuses.

And so my ego has shrunck back to it’s usual paremeters and from now on, I’ll be much mor care full to doublchek my speling.and punctation

Just like I espect of my aplicants! 

photo by iirraa

Kudos to Argentina for legalizing same-sex marriage!

I hope other nations will follow suit, including the United States.

photo by laverrue

I wish I’d heard Al Gore speak. Even if he didn’t invent the internet, I have a lot of respect for his Government Reinvention efforts in the 90′s. Even if actual results were modest, least he tried; I haven’t seen too many other people tackle that monstrous elephant in the room.

I wish I’d heard Marcus Buckingham.  I’ve been a fan of him and of Gallup for years. Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago, I lost my cell phone between morning carpool and morning commute. Thinking it must be in the house, I’ve looked behind the couch, rummaged through laundry baskets, checked pockets of jackets I rarely wear.

No luck. Eventually I went online to research a replacement.  Whoa! Too many choices, I quickly learned.

After hours on the internet, there was no obvious choice, no short list. Reviews contradict each other; readers can’t agree on advantages and drawbacks,  favorites and deal-breakers. Neither can my co-workers and online friends. Finally, I had a brainwave!  I decided to actually go to the Verizon store; surely, seeing and manipulating the phones would solve my dilemma, make the decision more clear.

After half an hour, I left empty-handed, more overwhelmed than ever.  The clerk told me that if I wait two weeks, per my contract, I am due a free phone. Since I couldn’t make up my mind anyway, I was glad to accept the ‘out.’

Do you believe there can be too many choices? Or is it the case of the more, the merrier? And hey, any recommendations on a phone?  Blackberry? Droid? Iphone?