Using Social Media To Gain Applicant Insight

Finding employees with good character is paramount to building a solid team. Obviously, conducting a thorough interview will assist you in gaining perspective on the applicant’s character…..as well as a thorough background check and checking references.

But have you ever considered accessing social media to help you find employees with good character…..or avoid applicants that seem to be lacking good character?

Since I do not profess to be an expert in the field of social media, I am going to point out a few practices I have noticed the “pros” use to determine if they want to have a working relationship with certain people. You can use the same information to study the habits of your applicants and see what type of messages they send out to the digital world.

Once someone accepts you as a “friend” or a contact within various social media sites, you have the opportunity to access their personal and/or professional profile. Here you will find their education, marital status, children, city of residence, place of employment and previous employers, awards they received, business recommendations, etc. Can you imagine someone giving you such a vast amount of information face to face? It would take months, even years, for you to learn most of the information about someone that you can learn by reading the various profiles throughout various social media sites! Now, don’t get me wrong, you should never base employment solely on online profiles; however, you could certainly learn many interesting characteristics of an applicant via the social media networking sites. Imagine the value of finding that an applicant is a coach for a hometown soccer team. You can tap into his team building skills he must have to be a coach to help you train members of your business team.

Here are some examples I have found from viewing various member profiles:

1)  “Just reread Bob Burg’s book “The Go-Giver.” You might want to read it too!” S. Rooks

If you are familiar with Bob Burg’s “The Go-Giver” you understand that the book is about building relationships by putting the other guy first…..be it a colleague, competitor, customer, friend, or family member. By observing that Rooks is reading a book which is focused on “giving” rather than “taking” it gives me some sense of satisfaction, as an employer, that Rooks would find the philosophy of “giving” to be a valuable characteristic to have in her personal and/or business world. That’s a great team building characteristic.

2)  “Assistant Director for one of the largest regions in the largest world-wide networking organization.” B. Anderson

By reading Anderson’s profile on LinkedIn you find that she owns OrgTrack, a web development firm. But, the posting above also shows that she holds a position with a networking organization, BNI, which focuses on building your business through referrals. Having knowledge of this could help you realize that Anderson understands relationship marketing and that she has close business relationships with other business professionals throughout the world. It could prove to be a valuable asset to your business to employee someone that is connected with other businesses world-wide!

3) “Developed a training program for other Terminal Engineers—to improve safety, reliability, and productivity.” M. Chitwood

Chitwood is the franchise owner of BNI North Alabama, a referral-based marketing company, but her profile on one of the social media sites notes that she developed a training program for a major oil company. This information would give great insight on her abilities to help you build your team through developing team building and training programs.

As you can see with these three brief notations, information from social media sites can prove to be of great value when choosing people to add to your team.

Instant information, like it or not, is here to stay. Those of you who haven’t joined in yet, better double-time and play catch up because online information will only become more and more ever-changing. Special Consideration: My recommendation is to consume as much information as you can about each of your applicants and employees via the profile sections in the various social media sites. Imagine the value of finding that an applicant is a coach for a hometown soccer team. You can tap into their team building skills to help you train members of your business team.

Being a member of social media sites, gives you the opportunity to observe an applicants’ online personality. Interviews can be nerve-wrecking to certain personality type people. Using social media gives you the platform to have small talk with someone and possibly get to know the person on a completely different level. You learn about their family, their interests, even the sports team they pull for.

SueHenryTalks, Workshop & Training Diva,  is the most knowledgeable expert on social media that I have had the pleasure of working with. Sue has been a mentor of mine for several years and she’s a no-nonsense trainer who displays a controlled, yet fun learning environment. If you would like to learn social media etiquette and understand how to build your business through the use of social media, I highly recommend you contact Sue.

Networking Is Like Swimming

The following article is a guest posting by Tara Schmakel, Assistant Director, BNI Minnesota, and author of “The ONCE Timid Networker” blog. 

It’s spring and you’re heading to the pool for the first time of the season. It’s finally warm out. No, it’s downright hot! All you can think about is getting cool in the pool! You know it will be refreshing, you will be with friends or family that you have been looking forward to spending time with and you may even lose that glow in the dark look that you’ve been sporting all winter! You’re ready to get in, but before you do, you test the waters with your toe… IT’S FREEZING. You know that you want to get in, but you can’t just “jump in” like everyone is hollering out to you. So you go back on the deck to psych yourself up!

To a lot of people networking is just like getting into that pool for the first time. It’s too cold and instead of just jumping in, they retreat for another time or until they are ready.

So what can a person do to ease into networking? Three things will help:

1. Think positive- If you think the pool is too cold, it will be. If you think the event will be intimidating, it will be. Tell yourself how great it will be and how good it will feel to have the sense of accomplishment! Just like you psych yourself to get into the pool, you can psych yourself for the event!

2. Dress for success- There are certain items of clothing that are suitable for swimming. It would be challenging to go for a dip if you were wearing a snowmobile suit. It could actually hinder your progress and weigh you down and you could even drown. If you are wearing something inappropriate for networking, you can also take a dive. Dressing according to your business is always a good idea, but many find it helpful to dress it up a notch. They find that little extra, gives them confidence, not to mention an edge over their competition. Also, don’t forget your smile. The most important accessory you could put on!

3. Be prepared- To swim in a pool, you need to have the water ready. To network at an event, you need to have your words ready. Practice what to say when someone asks you what you do. Memorize a phrase or two that will just roll off your tongue. Once you are comfortable and a person is truly interested in what you do, you will find it easy to speak from the heart. You will also find it helpful to have business cards and your calendar along!

By practicing these tips and making them your own, it will become easier to attend a function, just like easing into the pool a little at a time. However, you may find you reach a certain level of comfort that you decide to just go all the way in. Whether you become numb to the effects of your mind or just reach a level of comfort, the result will be refreshing and satisfying and you may even build some relationships and get some business!

To view more of Tara’s blog postings on how to be an effective networker visit her blog “The ONCE Timid Networker.”

Leaders Lead…..And Focus On Character

Company character is at risk every day. Your business is being judged by your customers, your suppliers, your employees and your competitors. As a leader, you have to be on your game at all times.

One thing you need to understand as a business manager is that your employees are your brand. Showing that you care for your employees is the ultimate message you will send about the character of yourself and the company. Remember, the character message you send to your employees is the same message your employees will portray to your customers. How can company leaders expect their employees to care for the customers if they don’t feel cared for themselves? Note: your employees are your brand!

Research indicates that a focus on ethics, values, and character in the workplace can have significant impact on key business metrics such as improved customer service, reduced liability costs, improved employee retention, and increased productivity…..all the things your supervisor will be rating you on.

As a changing economy begins to reinvent the world of business, decision makers don’t have time to ponder and contemplate about the moral implications of every action they take. Being ethical must be instinctive, and that is where character comes into play. As businesses struggle with the strategic need to attract and maintain an effective workforce, character provides the foundation for credible and trustworthy business relationships.

Understanding the power behind projecting high standards and ethics in your business is the missing link to Building World-Class Teams. All companies create mission statements and vision statements that encompass the character of the company and revel in its importance. But, once the employees leave employee orientation, does the character of the company retain any importance in the day-to-day operation of the business? 

If you want to build your business from the inside out…..walk the talk! Instill in your employees the high standards you promise your customers by training your employees on the values of the organization. But remember, this concept starts from the top and works it way down to the line employees. If your executive team is focused on displaying a high quality of character, you can guarantee your employees will perceive and emulate the value as well.

3 Tips To Jumpstart Company Character And Beat Your Competiton

Are you looking for more avenues to make your business stand out from the competiton?

Many businesses look at discounts, special sales, free gifts and other gimmicks to draw in new customers. These are all great ideas, but do they actually offer results to your bottom line? Sadly fewer and fewer businesses are focusing on “retaining” their current customer base and turning them into loyal customers and clients.

If you want to beat out your competition here two words you should focus on: Customer Service. And, customer service begins and ends with having a team of employees that will promote the company in a positive light, serve the customer and ask them to return on a consistent basis while at the same time…..referring your business to their family, friends, and contacts.

If you really want to beat your competition in today’s recessed market, focus on “Building World-Class Teams” and you will not only learn how to retain your employees; but, you will have happy employees helping you promote the high character of your company to your clients which will yeild high results by retaining your current client base.

Leaders can not expect their employees to display good character if they are not capable of displaying the same values within the workplace. You’ve worked hard to become a leader, but now you need to continue those efforts by demonstrating to your employees the character you want displayed and represented by your company. Always remember that character builds the business and the company’s fate relies on not only understanding good character traits, but having the ability to display good character and teach what characteristics build successful teams.

1. Providing your employees with thorough training/orientation will begin the process of teaching the character of the company. Don’t expect your employees to join your organization and immediately understand your corporate character…..teach them. Teaching the history of the company and the morals that the company was founded upon will help the employees have a clear vision of the expectations you have for them.
2. Creating and maintaining an open door policy with your employees is one of the greatest virtues a company can have. Many companies say they have an open door policy, but few actually promote the policy. One of the best ways a company can display good character to its employees is to actively promote the open door policy and always listen for ways to build employee morale, improve work environments, and increase productivity. Sure, you’re going to hear things that you don’t want to hear about yourself as a manager and company policies. But, listening to your employees instead of trying to talk over your employees is a sure fire way to display the character of management and the company. This doesn’t mean you have to always agree with your team members…..just listen and show them that you respect their opinions and are willing to consider their input to create a better workplace for all concerned.
3. Assigning new employees a mentor will help maintain good character within the workplace. When new employees enter your company, it is vital that they meet and connect with those who display a positive attitude. Nothing can undermine your company’s character quicker than negative employees. They will greatly impact the belief system of the new employee. Mentors provide business leaders with a tool to ensure that new employees have the best work environment to begin developing their own character within the organization.

If you are looking for more ways to build a solid team in your business, you can download a copy of my free eBook “Building World-Class Teams.” You can  start today edging out your competition simply by making your employees understand they are a valued resource in your company.

Control Your Referral Flow

The following article is a reprint of a recent article written by Tim Houston, author, speaker, coach and BNI Area Director.

As an author, his work appeared in The New York Times Best Seller and multiple #1 Best Seller,  Masters of Sales, the latest book written by New York Times & Wall Street Journal authors, Dr. Ivan Misner and Don Morgan. His articles on the topic of business networking and word-of-mouth marketing have been translated and published in magazines, newspapers and blogs around the world  His first book, Level Up Networking: Produce, Profit and Prosper From Your Everyday Business Relationships, will  debut in 2010. For more information on working with Tim, visit his website at http://www.tmhouston.com.

About a year ago, I went to a local networking group. They were excited to have a new plumber in their group, (I’ll call him Artie). In talking to Artie, I found out that his business was a two man operation; he and his brother managed the business, did the technical work on each job and also did the marketing for the business. He was happy to be a part of the group which also had a general contractor, and electrician and a painter – all people who shared a similar client base As the meeting progressed, I watched this plumber get, at least, 6 referrals that day. He was very happy to be getting the referrals.

Tim Houston

Two months later, I visited the group and Artie announced that would be his final meeting. People were surprised and shocked to hear it. He explained that he was getting too many referrals - more than he and his brother could handle! It did not leave a good impression with most people as they interpreted this to mean that all he wanted to do was score a “quick hit” and move on.

Later that day, I called Artie I asked if I could speak to him about his decision. As we spoke, I told Artie that one of the biggest challenges for networkers who have a small operation – regardless of their profession – is that they can find themselves overwhelmed with receiving too many referrals. In their haste, too many make the fatal mistake of telling everyone to stop giving them referrals. They ultimately end up at a time in the future with little or no business because people assume that they no longer want referrals. In the worst case, they cut themselves off from their referral sources.

Being Artie was a plumber, I used the analogy that, just like in plumbing, you need to learn how to control the flow of referrals I explained that even in networking, just as in plumbing, there are certain “valves” or “taps” that are used with “knobs” that adjust how fast or slow the referrals will flow.

• Tell your network when to give you referrals: One October morning, George Alonso, a decorative artist and designer (www.ofhandandsoul.com) told the members of his weekly networking meeting that A good referral for him would be “a person who is looking for a decorative mural in their home or business – anytime after February!” He explained that he had too many jobs to handle at the moment but he was booking jobs for February. George knew that he had to let his network know that he still wanted referrals – just not the kind that needed his services right now. He was still keeping his pipeline full so that he didn’t experience a referral shortage once the jobs he was currently working on were completed.
• Refer your “overflow” work to someone else in your profession that you trust: If you find yourself with too many referrals, before turning away the business, talk to both the source and the person being referred and let them know that although you can’t handle the work now, you know someone else in your profession who could. Make sure that you introduce the prospect to your collaborator, and ask to stay involved with the progress. The impression you will make on both the source of the referral and the prospect will help you in the long-run. Also, your collaborator will likely remember you when they’re experiencing overflow and want to refer work to you.

• Prevent Back-flow: Back-flow occurs when there’s a drop of pressure and contaminated water begins to flow from the ground or a storage system into the clean water system of the building or water supply. In plumbing, there are devices known as “check valves” which prevent this from happening. Artie thought that if he stopped the flow of referrals at the source, (i.e. if he quit) , it would provide him with the breathing room he needed to catch up. Then he, said, he can go back to networking. I told him he was actually creating back-flow. In Networking, negative word-of-mouth results in back-flow. Too often this will occur when someone takes on a job that they cannot handle, causing problems, delays, and headaches, resulting in ill-will for all involved. It also occurs when people are perceiving that the person only cares about themselves. In Artie’s case, he got a lot of referrals and the people in his networking group saw his quitting as giving up on them. They became “contaminated” with the notion that all Artie wanted was to take from the table and give anything in return. I suggested that one way he could install a “check valve” to prevent the back-flow was to give referrals to others and to introduce them to potential referral partners and sources for their respective businesses.