This according to Million-Dollar Hire author David Jones, whose research proves managers can reduce turnover and ensure better hiring decisions by placing equal emphasis on a candidate’s “dark side.”

According to research Jones conducted via hundreds of business organizations, “Candidates with an inclination toward perfectionism and
a near obsession with pleasing customers” actually performed worse than their run-of-the-mill counterparts.

Candidates who exhibited “some degree” of questionable behavior (e.g., sarcasm, lack of professionalism, etc.) actually performed better and had more of a tendency to stay with the organization for a long period of time.

Personality traits recruiters should be leery of, especially if they’re readily apparent during the initial interview:

1. High excitability, aloofness and skepticism are usually signs of a rep who’ll drift from the group in times of high stress, abandoning traditional sales practices.
2. Extreme boldness or mischievous behavior are signs that a rep may try to manipulate other salespeople, or create a schism in the group if a personality conflict arises.
3. Perfectionism is often a sign that a candidate will be high maintenance, constantly in need of validation for his/her contributions, rather than focusing on big-picture tasks.

The key: Seek out candidates who show a healthy mix of positive and negative behaviors, while avoiding those who veer too far in one direction or another.

Once healthcare reform kicks in, most health insurance offerings are expected to look surprisingly similar. Which means your organization will need to start looking for a new leg up when it comes to both recruiting and retention.

One suggestion: voluntary benefits.

Offering employees everything from auto and home insurance to legal plans or even pet insurance is a growing trend among employers looking to stay competitive. That’s the assertion at the recent 2011 Health Care Benefits NY conference by Flagg Management held last month in The Big Apple.

But with so many possibilities, how can you know what the best options for your organization are? Take a look at what your peers are doing now, as well as what they have planned for the near future.

The most popular three voluntary benefits your peers now offer are:

• life insurance
• disability (long- and short-term), and
• vision.

If you’re looking to get ahead of the curve, consider embracing the top three voluntary benefits other firms have their eyes on for the near future:

• long-term care
• legal plans, and
• auto and home insurance.

Key to success lies in this department

But no matter which perks you decide to offer, have a sitdown with your CFO pronto.

There’s one secret to success, according to experts on voluntary benefits. And it has nothing to do with what you’re offering but rather how you’re offering it:

Make sure your company sets up a payroll deduction for employees to participate.

That does two things:

1. It helps employees sock away the money to cover the costs of premiums, etc., and
2. It further reinforces with employees that your company endorses that specific benefits plan.

While there are no specific statistics or studies that have tracked the percentage of current employers who refuse to hire unemployed applicants, recent articles by The Huffington Post, as well as several other local and national papers, explore this dynamic.

In some cases, employers are afraid to hire someone for a high-level position whose skills may have grown dull or rusty over the past few years – years during which the marketplace has changed dramatically, as have the way customers do business and the modes companies use to communicate, manufacture and produce.

According to the Dept. of Labor, there are 5.5 unemployed workers available for every available job (on average). In that type of job market, employers are going out of their way to disqualify candidates they no have very little chance of getting hired.

Rather than have their recruiting people get inundated with hundreds of applications, or waste time interviewing candidates who should’ve never gotten through the door, HR execs have become much more proactive.

One recent article cites an employer in Buckhead, GA, whose job posting bluntly reads: “NO UNEMPLOYED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED AT ALL.”

Another employer in Georgia posted an ad for a hands-on, manual labor position that read: “If you have not worked since 2009, do not apply!”

Restaurants, accounting firms, and financial service firms are all posting the same type of ads.

Apparently, “Unemployed” is the new “Prior Experience required.”

While there’s currently no law on the books that forbids companies from disqualifying applicants based on employment status, the current job market is forcing legislators to review labor laws and consider whether tighter regs might be necessary.

Employers, on the other hand, claim they’re just doing their best not to waste their time or the applicants’. Certain positions require top-of-the-line applicants who are on top of their game, according to their argument.

If a company knows what it’s looking for, why should it waste valuable time and resources looking elsewhere?

What do you think about this latest shift in employment practices? Is it ultimately a good thing? A bad thing? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: “Help wanted – jobless need not apply,” by Zachary Roth, The Lookout, 2/17/11.

A survey, conducted by the MBA Career Services Council, revealed 81% of business school officials believe MBA internships will increase this summer, based on early indications they’ve seen.

That’s a 20% increase over last year, when only 60% of officials were optimistic about intern opportunities for MBA students.

More importantly, it signals an important shift where companies are once again looking to hire young, reliable employees wh0 won’t break the budget. This may be a great time to either see if your company qualifies for an internship program or start actively pursuing top recruits at college job fairs and recruitment centers.

More than 60% of business schools have already reported an increase in hiring activity at their on-campus job centers.  To put that in perspective, last year at this point, 79% of schools were reporting a considerable decline in job postings and intern possibilities.

Source: “2011 MBA Job Outlook Bright,” by Alison Damast, BusinessWeek, 1/13/11.

“Organizations that create multiple, flexible pathways to success will keep their best people, keep them engaged, and keep them longer.”

So says Harvard Business Review’s Susan David.

As Co-Director for the Harvard Institute of Coaching, David’s gained a great deal of expertise regarding how to train and develop employees into senior positions.

In a recent interview with one of the Harvard Business Review‘s bloggers, David shared these three tips for determining which employees should be promoted into management, and which ones are better left right where they are (we’ve provided our own commentary along with each one):

1. Gather feedback from multiple sources: You may believe a specific employee has true leadership potential. But it’s not you that person will be responsible for leading. That’s why it’s essential to gather honest feedback from key staffers regarding your potential candidate. If it’s clear most employees won’t accept (or respect) that person’s leadership, you may need to reconsider your choice.
2. Seek out candidates who WANT to take on more: Some employees would prefer to simply go about their business without any need for promotions or other distractions. Take note of which employees are constantly volunteering to take on more, as well as who’s least likely to put up a fight whenever it becomes necessary to implement change.
3. Make sure the candidate endorses the company’s mission and values: Seek out employees who not only share the company’s vision, but yours as well. The last thing you want is a subversive manager who’s undermining your authority at every turn. Avoid promoting top perfomers unless they have the ability and desire to move into management. Otherwise, you could wind up losing some of your best employees shortly after you’ve promoted them into management.

Source: “When to Reward Employees with More Responsibility & Money,” by Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review Blog.

A third of sales managers claim poor decisions in this one area cost them at least $50,000 in 2010. 

That area: recruiting.

Thirty percent of managers admitted bad hiring decisions easily cost their companies $50,000 or more in revenue last year, according to a brand new CareerBuilder survey.

The survey also revealed:

• Nearly half of sales managers felt they had lost more than $25,000 in 2010 due to poor hiring decisions
• More than 70% of managers believed bad hiring decisions had an adverse effect on sales during 2010, and
• That same amount said they had a cost-per-hire of more than $1,000 (based on recruiting, training and development costs).

When sales managers were asked how a poor hire impacted their business:

• 38% claimed they saw a major dip in productivity
• 36% claimed it cost them additional time and revenue to hire and train a replacement
• 27% said it had a negative impact on employee morale
• 26% said it had an effect on customer relationships, and
• 21% said it had a direct impact on overall sales.

The ‘rep profile’

One strategy sales managers have used to minimize the risk of making a poor hiring decision: Creating a “rep profile” based on the common traits of your company’s best salespeople.

Reason: Hiring based solely on experience is often a poor substitute for hiring a candidate who’s a perfect fit for your corporate culture.

Tell us about the worst recruiting experience you’ve had at your company? Share your ordeal in the Comments Box below.

The three hottest job markets:

1. Washington, DC: Public sector jobs are on the rise, as are the wholesale and retail industries in the nation’s capitol. Nearly a quarter of companies the DC area plan to hire more employees before the end of the year and the unemployment rate is a respectable 6.2% (as compared with a 9.8% national average).
2. San Antonio, TX: Teachers are in high demand, as are health professionals and IT specialists. Twenty percent of companies plan to add more employees this year and a nearby military base could create as many as 10,000 new jobs within the next year (most of them related to the healthcare field).
3. Greenville, SC: Greenville has its downside – the unemployment rate is still well over 9%, the average income is relatively low and only 18% of companies are currently looking to hire. But there are manufacturing and public sector jobs for those who are looking. That combined with a low cost of living makes Greenville a worthwhile job market.

The three worst job markets:

1. Las Vegas, NV: In a bad economy, luxury spending is one of the first things to suffer. That being the case, Las Vegas is in a bad way these days.
2. Reno, NV: As Las Vegas goes, so goes Reno.
3. Detroit, MI: The auto industry is clawing its way back. But the major blows it’s been dealt during the past two years have had a severe impact on Detroit’s overall economic state. A lot of jobs disappeared, and a lot of jobs aren’t coming back.

Source: “America’s Strongest Job Markets,” by Vanessa Wong, BusinessWeek.

If you think the questions sound like complete nonsense, you may be at least partly right. But there is a point to them.

Interviewers who ask what type of animal the candidate is most like or what historical figure the candidate resembles most are used to:

• throw the person off balance
• see how the person thinks on his feet, or
• reestablish the interviewer as the person controlling the flow of conversation (if the interviewee has begun to take control, asking more questions than they’re answering).

It’s an effective tactic, specifically because it catches the interviewee off guard. What’s more? The answer may inadvertently reveal something about the candidate’s personality the interviewer may not have known. Either way, it’s an effective way to switch gears and move into another line of questioning.

It may also put the candidate at ease by breaking up a serious line of questioning with some levity (e.g., “If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?” or “If there was one bumper sticker that reflected your day-to-day life, what would it say?”).

That said, from an interviewer’s perspective, these questions should only be used sparingly, if at all. The last thing you want is for an interviewee to walk away thinking you seemed more interested in knowing about cartoon characters and bumper stickers than their ability to successfully handle the job at hand.

On the same token, if the question seems to make the interviewee uncomfortable, it might help to swoop in and provide a light response (e.g., “I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of an Elmer Fudd,” etc.).

What’s the craziest question you’ve ever been asked/or asked in an interview? What’s the best response you’ve ever heard?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Based in part on “Crazy Interview Questions,” CareerChoiceGuide.com

John Sullivan, also known as “The Michael Jordan of Hiring”, has years of experience helping top companies develop their own employee referral programs (ERPs). According to Sullivan, successful ERPs are often the result of taking these 10 steps:

1. Avoiding cash bonuses as incentives. Cash bonuses often result in employees recommending anyone just to earn more money.
2. Offering public recognition. When a successful new hire is the result of a referral, be sure to recognize that fact publicly, as often as possible. It energizes the employee who made the recommendation and encourages other employees to refer candidates as well.
3. Expanding the ERP to include those close to your organization. Peers, consultants and customers are all great sources of employee referrals. Create an incentive that motivates them to refer top candidates.
4. Responding ASAP. When an employee recommends a job candidate, respond to both the referrer and the candidate within 24-72 hours, so employees don’t feel like their suggestions are ignored.
5. Giving referrals priority. This makes employees feel respected, and it also increases the chance the referral won’t be swept up by another organization.
6. Publicizing new job openings. Send an e-mail giving employees the first chance to refer job candidates before posting the job publicly.
7. Creating referral forms. Post them online and around the office so employees are reminded to follow a specific process.
8. Providing feedback on referrals. Let reps know which type of skills and experience make for good referrals.
9. Encouraging reps to use social networking: It’s a great way to let candidates know about job openings.
10. Requiring a pre-assessment: Have reps provide an assessment of the candidate so you know you’re not wasting your time with recruits who don’t have the experience or skill set to do the job.

Source: “Advanced Employee Referral Programs — Best Practices You Need to Copy,” by John Sullivan, ere.net, 6/14/10.

What’s worked to get employees to refer top candidates at your organization? Share your success stories in the Comments Box below.

Just over 1.8 million people voluntarily left their jobs in March. While that number is significantly lower than the pre-recession average of 2.7 million, it’s an uptick from the low point of 1.72 last October.

The statistics, recently released by the Bureau of Labor, show a reverse in employment trends that lasted more than 15 months.

According to a recent Right Management survey, 60% of employees plan to leave their current job as the economy improves. With a higher percentage of companies now hiring again, workers are finding they have more options.

Meanwhile, companies that have employed a more-with-less mentality will need to strike a balance in order to keep top talent from leaving.

Beyond that, there are a lot of employees who habitually jump from job to job to increase their earning potential and advance their careers. Most of those employees have been forced to accept their circumstances over the past few years, which means a lot of employees are now eager to test the job market.

One key takeaway: In a recent Dice.com survey, employees who wanted to leave were asked what would persuade them to stay if they found another opportunity. The top three answers:

• 57% said nothing could convince them to stay
• 42% said higher salary, and
• 11% said a promotion.

Source: “More Workers Start to Quit,” by Joe Light,” Wall Street Journal, 5/26/10.

New research has uncovered the one trait most sales superstars share — and several others that differentiate the top producers from the bottom feeders.

The study, conducted by Psychology of Sales Reluctance authors George Dudley and Sharon Goodson, was based on interviews with over 1,000 sales execs across multiple industries.

It found the one common trait almost all of today’s sales superstars share is an innate willingness to prospect consistently, whether by traditional means or new outlets — like social networking and online forums.

The study also found these four key differences between top-producing salespeople and low performers:

1. Low performers often fear their cold calls will be seen as pushy or intrusive, while top performers assume their calls are welcome because they have info that can help the prospect’s business.
2. Low performers generally feel there are only certain hours of the day when cold calls should be made, while high performers feel any time is the right time.
3. Low performers blame poor results on non-receptive prospects, bad leads or poor market conditions, while top performers look at their own performance and key metrics to determine what needs adjusting.
4. New hires who get a job based on prior experience often don’t live up to expectations because they’re unwilling to learn a new system, while those who show a genuine enthusiasm about learning the new process tend to perform at a higher level.

What are some other things you think separate top salespeople from the rest of the pack? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Source: “The Psychology of Sales Reluctance” by George Dudley and Sharon Goodson (Behavioral Science Research Press, 2009)

1. Target’s bait and switch: With more than 660,000 Facebook fans, Target has a tremendous pool of customers to draw from. The company’s capitalized by engaging its buyers to promote its products. Example: Last November, Target posted some of its holiday ads on Facebook, asking customers to provide feedback. The conversation turned into a major thread with hundreds of consumers exchanging opinions. At one point, Target reps popped in and added a comment to let customers know it was donating 5% of the purchase price of any Hasbro toy to charity every time someone bought one. And with the way Facebook is set up, every customer who posted to that thread was sent an automatic e-mail, directing them to Target’s comment. It gave Target free, instant access to some of its most loyal customers. The best part? Any company can employ the same strategy.
2. Toys “R” Us offers major discounts via Facebook: Toys “R” Us developed a holiday promotion that encouraged more customers to become “fans” on the company’s Facebook page. It used e-mail and other marketing channels to let customers know they’d be entitled to holiday discounts and other incentives simply by agreeing to become a “fan.” How successful was the promotion? Toward the end of 2009 when the promotion was in full swing, it generated as many as 90,000 new fans a day. It’s also worth noting that Toys “R” Us’ December sales were up nearly 5% this year, while a lot of competitors were struggling.
3. PetSmart encourages fans to make themselves at home: PetSmart uses its Facebook page as a platform for customers to interact with one another. For instance, PetSmart reps can get the ball rolling by asking some of its 17,000-plus fans to post pics of their pets in funny costumes around Halloween or dressed up in holiday garb in December. From there, the customers interact with one another, which only helps boost PetSmart’s brand loyalty. Much like Target, PetSmart has also learned the value of waiting until the thread has generated a considerable amount of buzz before slipping in a mention about a limited-time offer, etc.
4. J.C. Penny’s unique contest entry form: In an effort to drum up as many fans as possible prior to the holiday rush, J.C. Penny announced a contest in which the winner would receive a Black Friday shopping spree complete with limo transportation to the nearest store. The catch: Customers could only register for the contest by becoming fans on the company’s Facebook page.
5. Ernst & Young’s new recruiting tool: Consulting giant Ernst & Young is attracting a whole new pool of top recruits via its “Facebook Careers Page” — the first of its kind. Rather than simply going the traditional route of using online job engines or job fairs, Ernst & Young has revolutionized the process by initiating an online dialogue with college students months (or even years) before they graduate. The company lists all of its available positions and internships, as well as news about how and where the company is looking to grow. As a result, the company has already generated more than 37,000 fans, most of whom are potential job candidates. It gives Ernst & Young complete control of the process, promotes the company’s brand and creates tremendous buzz among some of the best, and brightest recruits in the industry.

While these are all unique approaches, one of the common characteristics most successful Facebook models share is that they feel organic. In other words, companies that simply use Facebook to announce offers or post ads don’t have the same appeal as those that engage buyers and ask for their opinions. The ability to encourage an exchange of ideas or solicit feedback empowers customers, and makes them feel like a valuable part of the company’s processes.

Has your company used Facebook? If so, how? If not, why not? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Source: “Retailers scramble to use social-networking tools to reach customers, sell merchandise,” by Max Jarman, The Arizona Republic

1. Best Buy’s Twelpforce: In July of 2009, Best Buy introduced Twelpforce – an entire team of customer service reps who respond to questions and requests exclusively via Twitter. It’s a revolutionary concept that’s already having an impact on satisfaction and loyalty, according to Best Buy CMO Barry Judge. It allows customers to avoid being put on hold, or left to wonder whether their requests are being handled. Instead, the problem is resolved ASAP and the customer knows exactly which steps are being taken to solve the problem. Plus, Twelpforce is a free way for Best Buy to announce and promote new offers and last-minute discounts.
2. Zappos’ CEO engages buyers via Twitter: Zappos reported more than a billion dollars in sales last year for the first time ever. One of the company’s key strategies – creating additional buzz and brand awareness via social networking sites. Zappos set up a microsite devoted to teaching its customers how to register and use Twitter. The Twitter charge was led by Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ CEO, who sent personal requests to develop a community of more than 1,600,000 followers who he interacts with daily. Hsieh uses Twitter to survey customers about business ideas. He also announces contests and free giveaways via his account. All of these updates give “followers” a reason to consistently tune in and find out what the Zappos CEO is up to.
3. Starbucks Coffee introduces “My Starbucks Idea:” Starbucks took social networking into its own hands by creating a customer site called “My Starbucks Idea.” The site gives customers the opportunity to pass on suggestions for improving sales, service or satisfaction. The company then posts the suggestions it’s considering online, encouraging other customers to “Share. Vote. Discuss. See.” The idea is to make customers feel as if they’re part of the company’s decision-making process, while gaining actionable feedback about why and how a certain idea should work. By encouraging customers to share their ideas, discuss what they like, vote for their favorites, and track the results, the company has created its own social network, devoted entirely to all-things-Starbucks.
4. Ernst & Young use Facebook as a recruiting tool: More than 60% of executives now have a profile on at least one of the popular social networking sites. Accounting pros at Ernst & Young decided to use that to their advantage by attracting top recruits via a “Careers” group on Facebook where everyone from intern candidates to high-level execs can see (and apply for) any E&Y job postings that are available. More importantly, the group gives Ernst & Young a consistent outlet for interacting with top recruits even when there are no job openings. That way, when something does become available, the company already has a pool of first-rate candidates who are eager for the opportunity.
5. AT&T develops Twitter microblogs: AT&T hosts a number of regularly-updated blogs available exclusively via Twitter, constantly keeping “followers” updated on industry news, changes to existing products, upcoming launches, as well as ways to maximize the value of AT&T’s service. By using this strategy, AT&T has created a “captive audience,” which it can build rapport with, while cross-selling and upselling new products.
6. Guitarmasterpro.net creates a viral sensation via YouTube: In December of 2005, the sales and marketing team at Guitarmasterpro.net recorded a homemade video of a teenager playing an unbelievable guitar solo in his bedroom. At the end of the solo, a quick ad popped up, explaining the boy learned how to play via Guitarmasterpro. To date, that video has been viewed more than 67 million times. 67 million! While companies like Burger King, Universal and Disney have all mastered the art of viral marketing, Gutiarmasterpro is an example of a small company that found an intriguing way to draw millions of prospects without high-cost ads.

Can you think of any other social networking strategies we’ve missed here? We’d love to have you share them in the comments section below.

The number of hiring managers reviewing a candidate’s musings, photos, updates and tweets on social media sites has doubled compared with a year ago, when only 22% looked online. And by the end of this year, a further 11% will be checking online profiles before hiring.

In this economy, employers can afford to be picky. And they are. Nearly 35% say they’ve found inappropriate content online that caused them not to hire a candidate.

What turns them off?

• 53% ruled out candidates who had posted inappropriate photos
• 44% eliminated candidates who’d said something about drugs or drinking (a reminder not to tell the world when you have a hangover!)
• 35% said no to applicants who had bad mouthed colleagues, coworkers and previous employers
• 26% discovered job hunters had made discriminatory comments
• 24% found  job hunters had lied about qualifications, and
• 20% discovered that candidates had shared confidential info from previous employers. That could send a red flag that they may take a similar approach to commercially sensitive data.

It’s not all provocative photos and bitching online, found the study of 2,600 hiring managers by CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive.

Some employers have found info on sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs and LinkedIn that have encouraged them to hire candidates.

You may want to ask:

Does the profile of the candidate fit the job description? 50% of employers say candidates’ online activities and profiles confirmed their instincts.

Does the candidate’s bio support their professional qualifications? 39% employers have analyzed this.

Does the candidate show creativity? 39% checked this.

Do they write well? Show solid communication skills? 35% have looked at this.

Have others posted references? That was important to 19% of recruiters.

Of course, what’s inappropriate to one employer may be acceptable to your organization. For example, 14% have eliminated candidates who have sent e-mails with text language like GR8 instead of writing great. That could be a big deal to some recruiters, but irrelevant to others.

Read more on this study at CareerBuilder.

Posted by Julie Power, editor in chief of the Internet Marketing Report Online.  Follow her on Twitter on JuliePower and HRTraining.

The study, conducted in part by Psychology of Sales Reluctance authors George Dudley and Sharon Goodson, was based on interviews with over 1,000 sales execs across multiple industries.

The findings reinforced that while certain factors (i.e., effort, opportunity, experience, etc.) can definitely impact salespeople’s potential for success, personal accountability seems to play the largest role in whether or not a new recruit develops into a sales superstar. To wit:

• Low performers often fear their cold calls will be seen as pushy or intrusive, while top performers assume their calls are always welcome because they have information that can benefit the prospect’s business.
• Low performers generally feel there are only certain hours of the day when cold calls should be made, while high performers feel any time is the right time (assuming the correct adjustments are made for time zones and callbacks are scheduled effectively).
• Low performers blame poor results on factors that are out of their control, like non-receptive prospects, bad leads or poor market conditions. Top performers are the first ones to evaluate their own performance, as well as key metrics, to determine what needs to be adjusted and how to go about doing so.

The study also revealed the following about hiring new salespeople:

• While a lot of managers make hiring decisions based on traditional criteria (e.g., years of experience, relationship skills, ability to close, etc.), the biggest indication of whether a sales candidate has superstar potential is whether or not he/she has a natural enthusiasm and willingness to prospect and network as often as possible. The study showed that while other skills are important, they don’t have nearly as much bearing if the salesperson isn’t constantly looking for new ways to meet (and build relationships with) new prospects.
• Job candidates who are hired based solely on their years of prior sales experience don’t necessarily live up to expectations, due in large part to their unwillingness to learn a new system after having “done the job” for so long.

For more, check out The Psychology of Sales Reluctance by George Dudley and Sharon Goodson, Behavioral Science Research Press, 2009.