Melvin Farmer completed his engineering degree at the height of the Depression. There were no jobs to be had, so he decided to go to South America to find work. His fiancée, Susan was the love of his life. As she saw him off on the ship, he promised he would be back in a year to marry her.

A year went by, then another. Susan never heard from Melvin. She received another marriage proposal from a man she was extremely fond of and accepted. When Melvin finally returned he was shocked that she had forsaken him!

We have had similar responses from our clients when they wait too long to make a job offer. They finally decide that Candidate C is their perfect choice and are appalled to find out that he took a job with a competitor. Often the candidate would have preferred to work for our client, but never had the chance to make that decision.

Even in a high unemployment market, desirable candidates are hot commodities. They have a “shelf life.” While we recommend putting each candidate through a thorough screening process (see Mistakes #1 – 15), this process should take a few weeks, not months.

I must admit that I have done this more than once.  I once hired an engineer who looked great on paper and interviewed well.  We had him take our standard personality test and he tested very poorly.  We hired him anyway and it was a big mistake.  We quickly learned that he sabotaged every project he was on, alienated his co-workers and had such an arrogant attitude that no one would help him.  The personality test had been spot-on, but we had ignored it.  We ended up letting the engineer go and made it a firm policy to only hire people who scored well on our personality test.

Another time I hired a person that had a checkered past.  I knew about his past, but I was convinced he had changed as I do believe people can change.  But unfortunately this was not true in this instance and the employee ended up stealing our customer after he left our employment, costing us a great deal of revenue.

Of course there are no perfect people and people do deserve second chances, but it is up to you to set the guidelines of your hiring processes and decide exactly where you will or won’t step over the line.  Realize that there are vast differences in people’s abilities and attitudes.  A good one will greatly enhance your company.  A bad one could destroy it!

The moral of this story is to take the time to establish your hiring processes and guidelines they should include testing, background checks and drug screening.  Judge your candidates against these guidelines and always hire with your eyes wide open!

Continental Professional & Staffing Services

At Continental Professional & Staffing Services, we help companies find the right person for the job and we help people find the right job for their skills. Since 1985 we have been making it easy for companies to staff their programs, whether long or short term. We offer several different approaches customized to help you achieve your goals.

Call Continental today and let us know what we can do for you. 765-778-9999

I have always found it astonishing what people will reveal in interviews, that frankly, they would be better off not sharing. If you ask enough questions and listen well, they will often give you a good picture of their character, especially how they handle a difficult situation.

Here are a few red flags to look out for…

Red Flag #1: What they did to them is what they will do to you.

Recently I interviewed “Susan” for a sales position. I asked her several questions about her last position and her old employer. At first she bragged about her sales ability and her closings. That got me wondering why anyone would ever let her go, so I asked more questions. Then she started telling me how bad her last boss was. How the boss was mean and controlling and what a bad company this really was. Once this door opened a flood came out.

Knowing a bit about human nature, I quickly realized that the problem was most likely Susan. I knew that if I hired her, I would soon become the bad boss with the bad company.

Red Flag #2: Candidates who bring up personal problems in an interview will also bring those problems to the work place.

A few years ago I interviewed “Alice” for a management position. This position required someone who could start up a new division without much guidance and make it profitable within 6 months or a year. It was not an easy task and I needed a real go-getter for the position.

On paper, Alice looked wonderful and had more experience than anyone else I was looking at. The interview started well as she described her skills. Things took a turn for the worse when I started asking about her last position. She revealed that she had had some severe losses in her personal life which caused her to have an emotional breakdown and lose that job. She admitted that she was still an emotional wreck, but was now on medication and wanted to work. When talking about the situation, she almost broke down sobbing. Clearly, she still had issues that would affect her in the work place.

Red Flag #3 A lack of professionalism in an interview will carry through to the job.

This interview red flag covers numerous sins, such as being late to the interview, dressing inappropriately, using foul language, or even typos on their resume. I once had a newly graduated graphic artist show me her portfolio that contained several spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. She was unconcerned about the errors because she had gotten a good grade on the projects based on the artistic merit of the projects.

What she failed to realize is that while these projects may have gotten her a B in class, the business world is strictly pass/fail. One makes the sale or he doesn’t. The parts are manufactured correctly or they aren’t. The flier is 100% perfect or it isn’t. It’s all about being a professional and demanding a high standard of yourself and your work product.

Realize a candidate who is unprofessional in the interview will reflect poorly on your company if you hire them.

The M/WBE requirement accounts for 20% of the scoring system used by the state to evaluate proposals and can easily be the make/break point in determining which firm receives a contract.

The questions for the prime contractor are then:

1. How do I find good MBE and WBE partners and…
2. How do I utilize these firms to add value to my contract?

The State tries to help by publishing a list of all of the MBE and WBE certified firms on their web site. To find this list go to http://www.in.gov/idoa/2867.htm and click on the link “List of Certified Business Enterprises”. This will open an Excel Spreadsheet with over 6000 listings. (There aren’t 6000 entities, but each different product or service the firm offers is on a separate listing.) However sorting through this list can be time-consuming and risky if you aren’t familiar with the firm and need to depend on them to perform.

So what is your alternative? The solution is the tried and true principal of business – network and develop relationships with firms that you like and trust. Just like you do with other service providers, such as an Attorney or Dentist, develop a short list of quality MBE and WBE firms to call on when you have a need.

However, the truth is that many firms wait until almost the last moment to select their WBE and MBE sub-contractors. They have run out of time and they need a quick solution.

In either case, the easy way to find a WBE and MBE sub-contractor is to call Continental Inc, a certified WBE firm. Continental is a provider of staffing services for a wide variety of industries from manufacturing to construction and civil engineering as well as financial and clerical applications.

Let’s face it – every new project needs new staff. Finding and payrolling that staff is not only time consuming, but is a major cash drain for any company.

Continental answers these issues by:

1. Recruiting qualified candidates
2. Working with you to select the best candidate
3. Hiring the candidate(s) as a Continental employee(s) and contracting them to your company
4. Payrolling the candidate and providing all employee benefits (insurance, 401(k), vacation, holidays, etc.)

Continental sends an invoice out at the end of each month payable in 30 days (with approved credit), which stretches your cash by almost 60 days!

Continental takes the hassle out of adding staff.

Continental goes one step further for its clients. We have built relationships with several quality MBE firms. We will assist you in quickly locating a firm to fulfill your MBE requirement for your bid.

So the easy way to find a WBE and MBE partner is to simply call Continental at 765-778-9999. Hit “0″ and ask for Sales. We can usually send you a quote and a commitment letter within 24 hours and find you a MBE within 48 hours. We are here to make your job easy!!

Here is a true story. CG is a small manufacturer in Central Indiana. When the recession hit, their previously stable business revenue dropped like a stone. In just a few months business had fallen off so dramatically that they were forced to lay off half of their 40 man workforce. In 2010 business was slowly returning and CG could rehire most of the workers. However, things were still tough and the profit margins even slimmer than before.

Now comes 2011 and CG finds out that they will face an increase of 300 – 500% of their UI Tax. That means that they will have to pay over $900 on each of their 34 employees. That is over $30,000 for a very small, struggling manufacturer – an increase of $24,000 in one year – a down year. That is enough to hire at least one full time person, that now won’t be hired, can’t be hired, because of this tax.

The sad truth of this tax is that it hits the businesses hardest that are struggling the most from the recession. Businesses that struggled, were forced to lay off staff just to survive, are now seeing huge increases in their UI tax.

The Indiana Legislature needs to take a hard look at this tax and what it means to struggling businesses in Indiana. It is such a complicated tax that I doubt most of them could explain how it is figured.

Business owners and executives need to find out what their tax increase will be in 2011. It’s time for businesses to be heard. To understand more about this tax increase and what can be done about it, download the free booklet The Unemployment Tax Insurance eBooklet.

Your accounting manager, Sharon, is getting married and moving to another city. You are faced with the daunting task of having to replace her. Sharon is the backbone of your company and you know it will be a huge challenge to find someone close to her skill level and character.

Luckily Sharon has given you plenty of notice and found five qualified candidates to choose from. Now you have to interview them and choose one.

Any hiring situation, especially in a small company, is sort of like an adoption hearing. You are inviting this person into your group and you hope they will get along and add to the dynamics of the group. You normally have only a few hours with the candidate before you make your decision. Worst of all, you know that a bad choice now can cause huge problems later on. So how do you decide?

1. 1. Start with the skill set required for the job. If you have written a good job description (see Mistake #12), you should easily be able to determine if your candidate possesses the skills required to do the job. If the candidate has gaps in their skills, you can determine what training they will require to be fully competent.

   You can easily create a grid with these skill sets to evaluate different candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. This can include their scores on pre-employment testing (see Mistake # 5).

2. 2. Evaluate the candidate’s appearance and presence. Did the candidate dress appropriately? Did they shake your hand with confidence and look you in the eye? Was there anything that put you off in their appearance or manner? Realize if it bothers you now, it will only get worse.
3. 3. Discover how prepared the candidate is for the interview. Did they take the time to research your web site? What do they know about your company or the job? The more pro-active a candidate is at the beginning, will tell you how much the candidate wants the job as well as a great deal about how they will approach the tasks of the job. I recently had a candidate tell me all the reasons she had no time to look up our web site. That told me all the reasons she would have for not doing her job later. Needless to say, she did not get hired.
4. 4. Develop a list of questions you want to ask during the interview so that you are prepared. Some sample questions:
   • Tell me about yourself.
   • How did you get into this line of work?
   • What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
   • Why should I hire you rather than someone else?
   • How can you help me solve (specific problem)?
   • What would you like to ask me? (shows if they are truly interested in your company and the job)
5. 5. Find out how comfortable you are with the candidate. This is very important in key positions. One skilled interviewer I knew had a key test – “Would I enjoy going to dinner with the candidate?” If not, he knew he would not enjoy spending long work days with them.
6. 6. Schedule follow up interviews with the candidates that you like. Include the incumbent if possible and other employees in the company who the candidate will be working with. Do at least one interview over lunch if you can. (See mistake # 4). Take your time and don’t rush into a decision. A third or even fourth interview may reveal a serious flaw in the candidate.

Though interviewing may be only an occasional part of your job, it is an extremely important one. Continental assists clients in locating and selecting the best candidates for the position. Feel free to call us anytime with your questions or concerns about interviewing.

One big mistake many hiring managers make, and number 12 on our list of Hiring Mistakes, is to not really know what they want (hard and soft skills). To help you from falling victim to this potentially expensive mistake, we have put together the following strategy for you to follow the next time you need to hire a new employee.

Back filling an existing position is usually easy.  Hopefully the person leaving the position took the time to write up a complete job description along with instructions on his or her regular tasks.  In this case you have a clear blueprint of the type of skills and experience required for the job.

The situation gets tricky when you’re filling a new position or when the last person got fired for incompetence.  In either case, you may not be quite sure what this job requires.

To write a job description, follow these three steps:

1. Start with the bottom line – what is the product you want this person to produce?  Is it sales revenue  or number of assembled products?  Define exactly what you want along with the metrics of the position.  For example, if you hire a new salesperson, you can easily work out the revenue he would have to bring in within 6 months to justify his salary.  That would be a minimum.
2. Once you have the product fully worked out, make a list of the actions he would have to perform to obtain that product.  Then describe your ideal employee for that position, even if you think that person would be out of reach for your company. At this point you should be able to easily list out the skill sets, experience and education that would be required for your ideal candidate.
3. Finally, think of the soft skills and your company culture.  What type of person would fit in well with your other employees and customers?  Get this all stated and written down.You may need to get some of your staff to weigh in on this position or at least agree with what you have written.  It’s important to take the time to work this out before you start your hiring process.

Once you have it all worked out and written down in a concise manner, you have a blueprint for the ideal employee and you can start looking for candidates that match what you need.

If you would like to avoid these kinds of pitfalls altogether, Continental excels at finding you the right person for the job, with the skills you require and the personality that fits your corporate culture. Cut your risk with new hires and call Continental.

He Really Isn’t Qualified, But You Like Him.

Joe Taylor needed a program manager for a key development project.  He started searching for candidates, but was unsatisfied with what he was finding.  Later that day he saw his old friend Steve Morgan.  Steve had just been laid off and was looking for a new job.  Joe only knew Steve socially, but thought he was a good, solid guy and always enjoyed seeing him.

Joe invited Steve to interview for the open position.

It became quite clear during the interviewing process that though Steve had industry experience, he had never led a project before.  This job would be a stretch for him, but he was eager to try and very enthusiastic about the job.  Joe decided to give Steve a try.

It is still early in the game and unclear whether Steve will be able to manage the project, but what is clear is that Joe put himself and his company in a risky situation.  Joe has maybe a 50/50 chance of Steve working out.  If he does work out, then it will be a win for Steve, Joe and the company.  But if it doesn’t work out, then the company will have lost valuable time on completing the project, Steve will have “egg on his face” and Joe may lose a friend when he has to fire Steve.

Of course, even the most qualified hiree can fail and a good personality often wins the day.  However, the best situation is a qualified hire with a good personality.  If you settle for less than that, you are taking a risk with the project and the company’s finances.

Continental excels at finding you the right person for the job, with the skills you require and the personality that fits your corporate culture.  Cut your risk with new hires and call Continental.

It is tricky business to set a proper starting salary for a position.  Pay too much and you will hurt the company.  Pay too little and you risk losing key employees to better paying firms. When setting a wage, it is important to look at the following four factors:

1. Prevailing wages in your market: This is by far the most important criteria in setting a wage.  In 1970 an accounting clerk made around $6.00/hour.  In 1990 the same clerk probably made around $9.00/hour.  The 1990 clerk wasn’t necessarily 50% better, but inflation and economic conditions had caused the wage to be 50% higher.

Some markets pay higher wages than others.  Our same accounting clerk in 1990 working in New York City may have been paid $12.00/hour.  A small town may have lower wages than a large city, even if it is nearby.

It is important when setting compensation to have an accurate job description for the position and then to compare salaries of others in that position in your market.

2. Amount of responsibility of the position: It is common that wages follow responsibility.  The President of the company gets paid more than the accounting clerk.  Often a new hire is started in a position of lower responsibility, but is given the opportunity to increase his pay as his responsibilities increase.

3. Technical skills and education: Advanced technical skills will require a salary that is commensurate with the skills.  Usually an employee with more education, if relevant to the position, will command a higher salary.

4. Experience: Experience usually translates to more skills and better performance.  However, this is not always the case and you must make sure the experience is relevant to the job you are hiring for.  A good, experienced engineer may not make a good salesperson.

There is a final factor that can turn salaries upside down – anomalies in the job market.  For example, when the dot com boom was in full swing, even the weakest programmers were being offered six figure salaries.  After the dot com bust the best programmers had to take massive salary cuts just to get a job. Same employees, but different economic times make very different acceptable wages. But watch out, as these great programmers will jump ship as soon as the market heats up.

Continental routinely performs wage and salary surveys in Central Indiana and assists clients in establishing and negotiating competitive wages for new hires.  Contact us today to learn more about this service (765-778-9999).