step right up! step right up! come one, come all to the HR carnival!

our HR carnival today takes us through the hiring process straight through to getting promoted:

first, when we have a position to fill we have to decide whether to buy or build:
the evil HR lady (you know, the one who started all this carnival madness, but who we all admire despite her evil ways) says, “the problem is, managers see recruitment costs as "unavoidable" while they see anything done to improve retention as "extra costs." boy are they wrong.”

the first thing for a candidate? getting your foot in the door:
ask a manager says. “i can promise you, a well-written cover letter that's obviously individualized to my specific opening is going to open doors even when your resume alone might not have. these account for such a tiny fraction of applications -- maybe 3% at most -- that you'll stand out and immediately go to the top of my pile. And I'll give you an extra look, even if your resume isn't stellar.” ask a manager lists what to include, and what to leave out, of your stellar cover letter. (i love that word. stellar.)

next, the interview. a crucial moment for both sides of the table:
rowan manahan at fortify your oasis shows us that “the opener is a crucial moment in any interview. most writing on the subject focuses on the importance of the candidate making a strong first impression and establishing their professionalism from the outset. indeed, i included a whole chapter on the subject in where's my oasis because I have seen so many candidates blow it in those few moments.” how can a candidate not blow it? and what should HR do to make a good impression when recruiting top talent? you’ll have to read rowan’s post to find out.

once a hire is made, it's time for orientation and training:
susan heathfield at about human resources talks about the deadliest catch: how to keep new employees on board. she says, “not all new jobs bring with them the danger inherent in crab fishing, but the crew exhibited some important lessons to learn about training a new employee.” what does crab fishing have to do with new hire orientation and training? click on over to find out.

while we’re on the topic of training, let’s talk about diversity:
carmen van kerckhove at race in the workplace gives us a bold, honest analysis of diversity training and why it doesn’t work. “people are tired of tiptoeing around issues of race. they are tired of safe cultural tourism. they are tired of companies who know how to say the right things but can’t back up their words with action.” she also offers “a new framework for discussing race and racism.”

now, we have to work to do. and we have to work for the boss:
can you be totally honest with your boss? even if you disagree? can you disagree and survive the corporate jungle? lisa at HR thoughts says, “so, how do you approach your boss when you don't agree with him or her? more importantly, how do you do it to ensure you are heard and not harm the relationship? if you have worked for someone for any period of time you probably have it figured out but just how painful was it to get there?” lisa has some answers that could save us all a few headaches.

eventually, we hope to get promoted:
wally bock at three star leadership says, “a study by the consulting firm DDI found managers and supervisors rating their transition to being a boss as more stressful than a divorce or death of a loved one. they may be right.” he not only gives us the statistics from the latest poll about the stress of climbing the corporate ladder, but the why behind the stress. some reasons include that you were probably promoted for the wrong reasons, and probably accepted for the wrong reasons. these are great tips if you are considering promoting anyone anytime soon too!

now, how do we manage our new team?
perhaps the team you’ve been promoted to run is spread out across several locations. how do you manage across time zones and locations? virtually, of course! jennifer britton at business toolkit – “the biz toolkit” talks about the challenges of virtual teams, as well as offering the solutions.

throughout the whole process, i hope you’ve remembered to maintain a little balance & sanity. to do that, you’ve got to have a little fun. maybe you take a little time off and play a game. (although a better choice may be one that doesn't make you scream, "please! make! the! music! stop!") or you can do the harder work of identifying your priorities and the 20% of the effort that gets you 80% of your results. for today, i suggest the game.

thanks to everyone for your submissions!
see you at the next carnival!
all the best!
deb

Comments

[Carmen Van Kerckhove]

Thanks so much for linking to Race in the Workplace! What a great set of links you've got here - I can't wait to read all of them. :)

[deb]

thanks carmen! and thanks again to everyone for their submission!

all the best!
deb

[Evil HR Lady]

Okay, Deb, like I needed another time waster???? I played that stupid game and now I want to play it again.

Great carnival!

[deb]

mwwaahhhahahahaha!
did i forget to mention the game is addicting?
oops.

all the best!
the wicked witch of the mid-west