If you have not identified your critical needs, and how to screen for them, you’ll fail, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging about hiring mistakes on About.com. Here are two more of her mistakes managers make.
7. Failure to Differentiate the Critical Job Skills
Everyone has a wish list for their ideal candidate, but you must select the three or four most critical characteristics to focus on. Once you have agreed on these, don’t “settle” on a candidate who does not bring them to your workplace.
And, we’ll add, you need to devise a test or simulation or series of questions that will allow you to determine whether candidates have the skill and qualities you have identified as crucial. Avoid leading questions (“Are you good at managing complex projects on budget and on schedule?” Who’s going to answer “no” to that question?), and be sure to probe (“How many people, how big a budget, what responsibilities,” etc.)
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8. Using Too Small a Candidate Pool
Many managers err by allowing a small candidate pool. If you don’t have several qualified candidates from which to choose, your pool is too small. Don’t settle; it’s better to reopen your search, says Heathfield.
How about your managers? Are they making mistakes? Do they have time to train? Sure, but training’s a hassle—authorizing, planning, delivering, tracking—and it’s easy to let this critical priority slip.
To solve this problem, BLR has created a unique and helpful solution called TrainingToday.
This turnkey service requires no set up, no course development time, no software to install, and no new hardware. Your employees can self-register, and training can be taken anytime, anywhere (24/7) with nothing but a PC and an Internet connection. Courses take only about 30 minutes to complete.
Just as important, TrainingToday automatically documents training. As trainees sign on, their identifications are automatically registered. When the program is completed, the trainee’s score is entered. So, when you want to see who has or hasn’t yet trained on any subject or look at the across-the-board activity of any one employee, it’s all there, instantly available to you, your boss, an inspector—even a plaintiff’s attorney.
These are all motivational, actionable programs—for both employees and supervisors—in such key areas as sexual harassment, FMLA, diversity, communication, USERRA, recruiting, and many more. The courses are kept up to date to reflect federal and state regulatory changes and, what’s more, we add new programs continually.
The Leadership Library, for example, provides you with a sensible (and economic) solution.
The Leadership Library for Managers and Supervisors allows you to:
- Train on demand. Employees can complete training anytime from anywhere. All they need is a computer and an internet connection.
- Reinforce training topics with engaging graphics and quizzes to test their knowledge.
- Monitor and track the results of your training program with the built-in recordkeeping tool.
- Save costs. The more you train, the more cost-effective the training becomes.
The Leadership Library for Managers and Supervisors is a Web-based training tool that can be utilized by any organization. All you need is a computer and Internet access, and the library is open 24/7.
Trying to get your employees trained to show leadership? It isn’t easy to fit it in—schedulewise or budgetwise—but now there’s BLR’s Leadership for Employees Library. Train all your people, at their convenience, 24/7, for one standard fee. Get More Information.
The Leadership Library trains your managers on the fundamental skills required for successful team management and organizational communication.
The courses cover a range of leadership and managerial topics, including the following:
- Business Writing Skills for Supervisors
- Dealing with Change: How Supervisors Can Help
- Motivating Employees: Tips and Tactics for Supervisors
- Effective Communication for Supervisors
- Conflict Resolution and Consensus Building
- Workplace Ethics for Supervisors
- Encouraging Employee Input
- Negotiation Skills For Supervisors
- Time Management for Supervisors
- Professional Behavior: What Supervisors Need to Know
- Performance Goals for Supervisors
- New Supervisors’ Guide to Effective Supervision
- Problem Solving for Supervisors
- How to Manage Challenging Employees
- Coaching for Superior Employee Performance: Techniques for Supervisors
- Effective Meetings: How-to for Supervisors
- Leadership Skills: What New Managers and Supervisors Need to Know
This turnkey service requires no setup, no course development time, no software installation, and no new hardware. Your employees can self-register, and training can be taken anytime (24/7), anywhere there is a PC and an Internet connection. Courses take only about 30 minutes to complete.
TrainingToday automatically documents training. As trainees sign on, their identifications are automatically registered. When the program is completed, the trainee’s score is entered. So, when you want to see who has been trained on any subject, or look at the across-the-board activity of any one employee, it’s all there, instantly available.
Course certificates can be automatically generated from within the training center and are automatically retained for recordkeeping purposes.
Get started today on helping your managers and supervisors be the best they can be!