Ask just about anyone who has ever hired someone and they will say that the best interviewee is more likely to get the job over the best candidate.  As much as we want to deny it, as much as we’d like to say the most qualified and experienced candidate scored the role, the fact of the matter is, the vast majority of employers will pick the person who interviewed well!  And this is ok for some roles, but for most roles there is a standard that can’t be measured in someone’s charisma and ability to interview well.

When is charisma an important skill?

There is no denying that charisma can be a desired skill – in fact if you are recruiting a cult leader it’s the only skill you need!  For positions like retail roles, customer service roles or sales roles, charisma is also extremely important – you need to know that the person you employ is able to deal well with the public.  However, there aren’t many jobs where people skills are more important than paperwork skills, so someone with charisma but lacking the ability to complete their paperwork may not be the best person for the role – even though in the interview we can be blinded to the shortcomings.

The truth of the matter is that charisma is only one small part of the reason you should hire someone and this is where employers can benefit from the skills of a recruiter and becomes a strong selling point for recruiters.

Why recruiters are important

Recruiters are skilled to be able to look past the charisma and understand the skill level and emotional intelligence of an applicant.  Because no amount of charisma is going to cut it if the candidate gets going as soon as the going gets a bit tough!

What does a recruiter do that you can’t

Recruiters are skilled in understanding the balance of charisma, education, experience AND aptitude of applicants.  Recruiters also understand the nature of YOUR business and have ways to make sure that applicants would suit your work environment!  Recruiters are not blinded by one ability over another and understand that the best employee is one that provides you with a balance of all of the required elements.

The other big advantage a recruiter provides is the ability to remove themselves emotionally from the need, so that they can make an informed choice of the correct balance needed for a new employee to integrate and successfully fulfill your vacancy.

How do you find the perfect recruiter

Once you find the perfect recruiter, you will truly know that you never want to handle the employing procedure in-house again!  Start by looking at recruiters that offer placements within your industry.  They will have an experienced knowledge of the unique quirks that you need to successfully fill a role.  Ask other industry professionals who they recommend and finally talk to a few – you will get a feel for who knows their stuff… but don’t be tricked by their charisma!!

Who doesn’t want more money?!  It is the curse of our modern have now society!  We could all do with a little (or in some cases a lot!) extra moolah!

Often we have been in a job for a while and the pay has stayed much the same, but as we have gained more experience in the role and within the work environment, we become aware of the fact perhaps we deserve more.  Perhaps you have seen what other employers are paying for the same type of job role, perhaps you have taken on a lot of extra responsibility, or perhaps you are aware that you are really creating benefits for your employer (eg: sales people exceeding their budgets or accounts people clearing the debtors list).

The truth is – most of us would like to ask for a pay rise, but we often don’t because we are too scared of the response.  Or worse still, we do ask, but because we ask the wrong way we end up with a ‘no’ and that can be very damaging to our self-esteem!

So, if you want to ask for a pay rise, if you think you deserve it, we have some tips for you to go the right way about it!!

1. Preparation: this is the MOST critical part.  Don’t go in unprepared, you just hang your reputation on the line.  To successfully ask for a pay rise you need to be able to justify your ask.  The best way to do this is have supporting evidence as to why you deserve it and know how much you want!  I personally have successfully used a 2 prong approach:
   1. How much you want: show evidence of what other employers are currently paying for a similar role (check current job ads and salary surveys), and
   2. Why you deserve it: give real life examples of where you have contributed to the company, eg: have you saved them money, have you saved them time, have you increased their income.  Be sure to provide SPECIFIC examples of how you have achieved this.
   3. Questions and objections: make sure you also think about potential questions and objections your employer may bring up and how you would respond to them.  By being fully prepared, you reduce the likelihood of your employer not taking you seriously.
   4. Timing: believe it or not, the timing has to be about your employer.  So many people asking for a pay rise take a “not at the moment” response personally.  The fact of the matter is, if the company is currently going through some difficult times, it doesn’t matter how you justify yourself, the answer will likely be no.  I have successfully used the ‘toe in the water’ approach, asking your boss when would be a good time to discuss a salary review (also be fully prepared to have your boss discuss a goal oriented or strategic review of your position, responsibilities and achievements – and all you have to do here is see point 1-be prepared with your evidence!).  The most popular time for a successful pay review is when your company is hiring, because you can bet that the new employee/s will be paid according to the current market rate, which has most likely increased since you started.  This is a good time to show your loyalty and commitment to your employer too!
   5. Confidence: here is the all important ingredient!  Don’t be intimidated asking for a pay rise – if you have done your research and prepared your justifications, it should be very simple for you to see in a clinical way that you deserve this pay rise!  If you lack confidence in the facts you bring before your employer, they will know that they can say no and nothing will change.  Try to approach the topic as you would any work meeting, remove the emotion attached and present the facts!  Go in fully expecting that you will be successful – confidence (not arrogance) is the key magic ingredient!

Good luck and don’t forget to let us know how you went! Drop us a comment below, or feel free to ask any questions if you would like some help!

Last year Fair Work upheld a decision that saw an employee being sacked for comments made against a fellow employee on Facebook.  The decision was upheld as it was deemed that the employee’s use of Facebook to post abusive comments about a manager at his workplace was related closely enough to his work because “the separation between home and work is now less pronounced than it once used to be”. The case also demonstrates that the line between work and personal life is increasingly narrowed: employers need to be alert to the fact that social media can be more than harmless fun.

SmartCompany reported: ‘The decision is potentially an important one because even though the employee had posted the comments on his home computer and out of work time, the Tribunal found that it constituted a breach of the employer’s policy requiring employees’ conduct to be “courteous and polite” and not to use “offensive language, resort to personal abuse or threaten or engage in physical contact.” The employer also had policies against sexual harassment and bullying’.

Employers need to be keenly aware of the potential for an employee’s social media comments to lead to more serious consequences, eg: a claim of harassment by a workmate, is very real.

Which leads to the question – as an employer do you have policies with regards to social media use?  Many companies think that by simply stopping staff using social media during work time that they have done enough to protect themselves.  (By the way – you may be interested in reading a previous post of ours referring to productivity and social media use at work.  You may just be surprised at the negative impact of altogether banning social media use!).  But in light of the above ruling, employers need to be aware that even if an employee is using social media outside of work time, there is a massive potential for their company name, brand, reputation or other staff members to be put at risk. Employers should ensure that they have clear policies which cover extreme antisocial use of social media.

What should your employee handbook cover about staff behaviour

Firstly, the employer in the above case had clear guidelines in their staff handbook that required:

• a courteous and polite code of conduct
• no use of offensive language
• no use of personal abuse
• no use of threatening or engaging in physical contact

These points were all used in the employers successful bid against their unfair dismissal charge.  This is not an exhaustive list and we recommend that you seek advice as to the best guidelines for your particular workplace.

What should your employee handbook cover about social media use

Even further, with the prevalent use of social media these days, employee policies and handbooks should include particular reference to social media!  You can engaged an HR specialist (drop us a comment below if you would like any recommendations for Australian HR providers), you can utilise legal counsel/advice or you can simply write something yourself (disclaimer: be aware that this may not be legally binding if an employee tries to refute it).

The important point is that employers can no longer bury their heads in the sand and think that by banning social media use in the workplace, they have protected themselves and met their duty of care to staff members.  It’s time to make sure your staff manual includes reference to what is allowed or not allowed when it comes to your company or staff being referred to in any social media format!

Every employer should know that if you keep your staff happy, they will stay AND give you their best.  Last week we discussed ways you can build a ‘talent firewall’ and looked at specific steps you can take to build programs and solutions for your staff members (see post here). This week we’ll look at specific steps you, as Executives and Managers, can take to improve the workplace environment:

1. Cut the red tape:two of the biggest gripes of top talent (based on exit interviews) are extraneous meetings and big company bureaucracy.  The easiest way to avoid these 2 issues is for management to remember that although systems and processes are helpful for a business functioning smoothly, at the heart of every business is the people and people don’t always fit into a process.  For companies with HR divisions this may be easier, as they tend to have resources to listen to employees on an individual level.  For companies that don’t have dedicated HR staff, the following tips may be helpful:
   1. Is that scheduled meeting required? Before the meeting assess if is it actually required AND make sure there is an agenda so you stay on task!
   2. Have a contact that staff members can speak with I know that many businesses worry that providing someone to listen to staff complaints increases the likelihood of complaints, but it has been shown that it is in fact quite the opposite.  The important factor is to have a process that includes identifying the issue and listening to the staff members preferred solution.  Businesses may still choose to deal with the issue according to the Staff handbook, but you will find that by at least hearing out a staff member and allowing them the opportunity to be part of the solution, you will increase good will with top talent!
   3. Never promote on potential: It’s an issue that actually often sees an implosion within a previously great company.  Up and coming employees usually have a dynamic personality, which can often blind senior management to their experience (or lack thereof).  Middle management/executives need to be able to DEMONSTRATE success BEFORE being promoted, otherwise the risk of failure is high.  Sadly, it is often this failure that creates bad blood that flows down the chain, so who is promoted and why is a very serious consideration for anyone who hasn’t demonstrated performance ability.
   4. Eliminate ‘Deadwood’: It is such a SIMPLE thing to do and yet SO MANY businesses fail at removing the cause of the disease and spend wasted time treating symptoms.  The simple fact is, if there is dissention in the troops you can bet it has filtered down from somewhere.  Companies should actually make a point of being aware of the impact of negative senior staff and those who have a lack mindset.  These people should not be in positions able to influence other staff.  Be aware and make sure that you are removing people who cause negative environments, it will actually increase morale and thereby lift the work output of everyone!
   5. Recognition: reward talent, it’s very simple!  At the same time know how to give CONSTRUCTIVE feedback.  Too much recognition and reward without some challenges to help people extend themselves can actually have reverse effect.  There is no need to over praise, but certainly taking the time to recognise people who put in a huge effort and go the extra mile is a great way to make your top talent feel valued!