Comments on: When Your Best Just Isn't Good Enough http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/ Life between the brackets Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:42:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: SmartBlog on Workforce » Blog Archive » The Lake Wobegon of HR http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1204 SmartBlog on Workforce » Blog Archive » The Lake Wobegon of HR Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:44:48 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1204 [...] rarely ever trained in interview techniques. But even if we were, would it make much difference? As Lance Haun recently pointed out over at YourHRGuy.com, neither managers or job applicants are [...] [...] rarely ever trained in interview techniques. But even if we were, would it make much difference? As Lance Haun recently pointed out over at YourHRGuy.com, neither managers or job applicants are [...]

]]> By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » Why your employee sucks at his job http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1206 HRM Today - Blog Archive » Why your employee sucks at his job Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:03:41 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1206 [...] boat-rocking post on eliminating the progressive discipline process. Lance at Your HR Guy wrote a great rebuttal, in which he noted: The problem with firing them Johnny on the spot is that you never get to see [...] [...] boat-rocking post on eliminating the progressive discipline process. Lance at Your HR Guy wrote a great rebuttal, in which he noted: The problem with firing them Johnny on the spot is that you never get to see [...]

]]> By: Bernie Dyme http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1205 Bernie Dyme Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:59:52 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1205 Great points on hiring and being human. Where I agree that it is, at best, difficult, to make the hiring process scientific, you can increase the odds of success by 1. profiling the job ahead of time so that you really know what you are looking for, 2. involving more than yourself in the interviewing process (I have found that we get very biased when we begin the process and are often blinded by our initial impressions), 3. doing at least 3 interviews so that you can give the interviewee an opportunity to "loosen up" for it is when this happens that you can see more of the true colors of the person and, 4. carefully structuring the job expectations at the outset with clearly stated measuring tools/meetings to evaluate and communicate progress to the new employee. Great points on hiring and being human. Where I agree that it is, at best, difficult, to make the hiring process scientific, you can increase the odds of success by 1. profiling the job ahead of time so that you really know what you are looking for, 2. involving more than yourself in the interviewing process (I have found that we get very biased when we begin the process and are often blinded by our initial impressions), 3. doing at least 3 interviews so that you can give the interviewee an opportunity to “loosen up” for it is when this happens that you can see more of the true colors of the person and, 4. carefully structuring the job expectations at the outset with clearly stated measuring tools/meetings to evaluate and communicate progress to the new employee.

]]> By: Fluxor http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1207 Fluxor Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:13:18 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1207 I was once party to a hire many years ago that turned out horribly. All the warning signs were there in the interview -- the inability to understand questions, the inability to answer questions, and the inability to speak good English. Yet, yet, she dressed so well and had the flirty eyes. Our department was 100% male before her arrival and oh how she played us like a supermodel strutting in front of hormonally charged teenagers. Objectivity? Ha...we were too busy being Pepé Le Pew. I was once party to a hire many years ago that turned out horribly. All the warning signs were there in the interview — the inability to understand questions, the inability to answer questions, and the inability to speak good English. Yet, yet, she dressed so well and had the flirty eyes. Our department was 100% male before her arrival and oh how she played us like a supermodel strutting in front of hormonally charged teenagers. Objectivity? Ha…we were too busy being Pepé Le Pew.

]]> By: Lance Haun http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1210 Lance Haun Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:31:53 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1210 @Ethan - You always gotta come around here and poke holes in my arguments, don't you? In my experience, you are probably the exception rather than the rule. @Michelle - I think this is one of those things you have to experience to believe. At least, that was the case with me. Not so easy to say you are a top hiring person if your record doesn't support it. @Darcy - I've been in the exact same situation. It sucked too. I am glad the person found their true calling though. :) @Ethan – You always gotta come around here and poke holes in my arguments, don’t you? In my experience, you are probably the exception rather than the rule.

@Michelle – I think this is one of those things you have to experience to believe. At least, that was the case with me. Not so easy to say you are a top hiring person if your record doesn’t support it.

@Darcy – I’ve been in the exact same situation. It sucked too. I am glad the person found their true calling though. :)

]]> By: Darcy http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1211 Darcy Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:06:05 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1211 I once worked with a very nice woman who worked really hard, but just couldn't understand how to do the job. I tried to train her using a variety of different methods, as did 2 of my co-workers. It started to make me think of the scene in City Slickers when Bruno Kirby exploded because Daniel Stern's character was never going to understand how to program the VCR. Our boss refused to let her go because she was so impressed with this woman's work ethic. Luckily for all of us, she eventually met a nice man and left to be a stay-home mom, the job she had always wanted and seems to be genuinely good at. I know that sometimes it can be hard to find someone who works really hard and when we do we want to give them all the chances we can, but if they can't do the job, you eventually have to cut your losses. Good post! I once worked with a very nice woman who worked really hard, but just couldn’t understand how to do the job. I tried to train her using a variety of different methods, as did 2 of my co-workers. It started to make me think of the scene in City Slickers when Bruno Kirby exploded because Daniel Stern’s character was never going to understand how to program the VCR.
Our boss refused to let her go because she was so impressed with this woman’s work ethic. Luckily for all of us, she eventually met a nice man and left to be a stay-home mom, the job she had always wanted and seems to be genuinely good at. I know that sometimes it can be hard to find someone who works really hard and when we do we want to give them all the chances we can, but if they can’t do the job, you eventually have to cut your losses. Good post!

]]> By: Michelle Rafter http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1209 Michelle Rafter Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:48:30 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1209 Great post Lance, with lots of good points. I've only been in a hiring position once and it was early in my career. I lucked into a couple good hires - they were all interns I'd found and groomed for a couple months before the company hired them so all parties knew what they were getting into and I think things worked out as a result. But a couple other hires didn't work out so well and I put a lot of the blame on myself for making hiring decisions too personal, i.e., that I based part of my decision on whether I liked the person as a person, not whether they had the skills or potential to do well. In my defense I was very young and not a very experienced manager and probably shouldn't have been put in that position in the first place. My bosses were equally clueless or they wouldn't have left hiring decisions up to me either. But that didn't make it any easier to have to fire one of the people I hired when we finally realized things weren't working out and never would. That was more years ago than I care to admit and it still bothers me. Michelle Rafter Great post Lance, with lots of good points. I’ve only been in a hiring position once and it was early in my career. I lucked into a couple good hires – they were all interns I’d found and groomed for a couple months before the company hired them so all parties knew what they were getting into and I think things worked out as a result.

But a couple other hires didn’t work out so well and I put a lot of the blame on myself for making hiring decisions too personal, i.e., that I based part of my decision on whether I liked the person as a person, not whether they had the skills or potential to do well.

In my defense I was very young and not a very experienced manager and probably shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place. My bosses were equally clueless or they wouldn’t have left hiring decisions up to me either. But that didn’t make it any easier to have to fire one of the people I hired when we finally realized things weren’t working out and never would. That was more years ago than I care to admit and it still bothers me.

Michelle Rafter

]]> By: Ethan http://lancehaun.com/when-your-best-just-isnt-good-enough/#comment-1208 Ethan Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:19:31 +0000 http://www.yourhrguy.com/?p=647#comment-1208 "Every manager thinks they can hire well. There is no exception to this rule. " Maybe you just meant HR managers, but this is one technology manager who knows he struggles with hiring. I've improved noticeably over the past few years, but at a high cost. And I'm still nowhere as competent at it as I would wish. “Every manager thinks they can hire well. There is no exception to this rule. ”

Maybe you just meant HR managers, but this is one technology manager who knows he struggles with hiring. I’ve improved noticeably over the past few years, but at a high cost. And I’m still nowhere as competent at it as I would wish.

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