Effective Performance Reviews--Helpful Tips

Let’s face it—many managers hate doing performance reviews!  They’d rather do something more enjoyable—like their taxes, or their children’s FAFSA application.  Here are some good suggestions to help you make the next performance review a little easier:

-Know your corporate and departmental goals.  Job descriptions and performance objectives must be linked to them.  If they’re not, then how can you accurately measure performance?

-Get input from employees on what key skills, knowledge, and tasks are required to perform their positions effectively.  Who knows the job better than the person performing it?

-Set goals for employees that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

-Encourage each employee to set performance goals prior to each review period.  This ensures buy-in with the process, and mutual understanding between the manager and employee as to what the goals are.

-Be proactive and track performance throughout the entire review period.  Keep a folder for each employee, and regularly record information about their performance throughout the year.  Do you really want to be two weeks away from doing a review and trying to remember what the employee did or didn’t do over the course of the year?

-Utilize information gained through observation, metrics, and feedback from internal and external customers when putting together performance data on each employee.

-Have regular “reality checks” on performance with each employee.  This can be done informally or in meetings.  Reality checks allow you to address issues quickly and get them resolved before a problem becomes insurmountable.  Reality checks also allow the manager to change performance objectives if they’re no longer applicable.

-Allow a trusted person in management or HR to read your performance review prior to meeting with the employee.  A second set of eyes is a great benefit, and can help you add valuable feedback or help you adjust the tone of the review if needed.

-Rehearse the review.  This allows you to conduct the actual review smoothly and within time constraints.  It’s also important to anticipate possible questions from the employee, and prepare your answers to them.

-Give your employees an opportunity to sleep on what was discussed in the review and the chance to seek clarification with you the next day.  This can allow important new information to be discussed, or to help diffuse any tension that may have occurred on the day of the review.

-Critique yourself after each review to see where you can improve the next time.

Using these tips will help make the review process easier, more accurate, and improve employee performance.  I offer a four hour training seminar on this subject if you want to learn more about this important managerial responsibility.

Temp: A Four-Letter Word?

I still come across candidates who turn up their noses at temporary assignments.  I understand that in some cases a temporary assignment might not make sense.   A very short-term assignment might be the wrong thing if you’re a single parent and have to make childcare accommodations.  COBRA benefits could also be affected depending upon the situation. 

Still, I’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t have those concerns and are still reluctant to take a temporary position.  I often hear that a temp position will “mess up my unemployment”.  I highly doubt that will happen.  Your claim is put on hold while you earn money and get more experience, and you reactivate the claim after the assignment is completed. 

The fact is, temp assignments are here to stay, especially with an economy that’s stuck in first gear.  I totally realize that the unemployment situation is horrible, and that many people have been out of work for an unusually long period of time.  As a recruiter, though, I want to know what candidates have been up to since they lost their job.  It’s not unusual for me to ask a candidate about how actively they’ve been searching for work.  It’s also not unusual for me to hear dead silence on the other line after I ask that question.

Recruiters and hiring managers often err on the side of being conservative.  If you’re tied for a position with another candidate, and the other candidate has worked several temp assignments while you put up a new deck, who do you think might have the edge at crunch time?

Volunteer for things if you have to.  Are you an out-of-work web designer?  Do a new page for your church, or local scout troop.  Are you in accounting?  Get certified to do taxes.  Are you an unemployed trainer?  Get on a substitute teaching list. 

The important thing is to find a way to get back into the game.  Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.  Come up with a plan and implement it.  Don’t sit and wait for the phone to ring!

Biggest Key To Writing A Good Resume

There are thirty teams in Major League Baseball, and each one has a starting shortstop.  Some of their duties include fielding grounders, catching pop flies, throwing to the appropriate base, covering second on the steal, and taking cut-off throws from the outfield.  The duties are the same for all shortstops, but some play the position better than others do.  What’s the difference?  One word--- Results!

It’s no different with your resume.  It’s safe to say that if you asked 50 Cost Accountants to write down their 5 most important duties, that you would get some very similar answers.  So how do you make yourself stand out on paper?

I’ve been asked to work on a number of resumes in the past by some very talented people.  What I’ve seen as the biggest mistake on their resumes is a written recitation of their job description.  The trick is to take a specific duty and illustrate how you added value to your company through performance.  Ask yourself these questions when working on your resume:

How did I increase revenue?

How did I save the company money?

How did I improve on a process?

How did I improve customer service?

How did I help lead and foster growth in my employees and teammates?

How did I go the extra mile?

Finding answers to these questions and putting them on your resume will give it power, and help you stand out from your competition.  You can do this exercise whether you’re a CFO, or an Assembler on the manufacturing floor.  Give it a try!  You’ll be pleased with what you see!

The Truth About Recruiters

I read a post today on one of my Linked In Groups regarding recruiters.  The writer was asking whether recruiters really cared about the job seeker, or just about the hiring manager.  There were a number of responses and opinions.  Here's what I wrote:

Recruiting is no different than any other profession.  There are people who understand that there are internal and external clients, and others that could care less.  You have recruiters who go the extra mile, and others that don't.  It all depends.  I think it is important for the job seeker to do the best they can to tailor their resume and cover letter to the position to which they are applying, be professional, stay on top of it, and remember that like in the Godfather movies "it's nothing personal, it's just business."  Getting a job is like selling a product or service-- you have to make a lot of "sales calls" before you get a few prospects, and then you lose some good prospects before making a sale.  It's a tough concept to deal with when you're out of work, but reality.

It's no fun being a job seeker.  You hear "no" a lot.  You do run across HR people, recruiters, or hiring managers who don't get back to you, aren't honest with you, or are afraid to say too much because they fear litigation.  Take solace in small victories, and lessons learned from other interviews.  Strive to make yourself more marketable with each job you apply for.  Easier said than done--- but if you do this, your job search will be far less stressful and frustrating.

Is Working In A Small Business Right For You?

I’ve worked in both small and large organizations in the past.  Both are challenging, but the dynamics in a small business are very interesting.  It all starts with the owners, and it’s important for job seekers to understand their perspective. 

Business owners are an interesting breed.  We wouldn’t have an economy without them!  They are bursting with ideas and energy.  Their internal clocks are different.  They see things from a different perspective, and ask questions about a subject or situation that many of us wouldn’t think of.  Some encourage their employees to grow and make decisions, while others micromanage everything going on in their company.

Business owners are passionate about what they do.  They’ve probably invested every available dime they have in making their business succeed.  They eat, sleep, and drink their business.  Working all night on a proposal is something that you just “do”.   An employee sees a candy wrapper in the company parking lot, and walks right by it.  The owner sees the wrapper and picks it up because it’s a reflection on the business. 

Working in a small business can present you with a unique opportunity.  I got more chances to be involved in important projects and functions in a small business than I did in a larger one.  The business size also allowed me to be involved with multiple functional areas instead of being focused on a narrower piece.  I also got a chance to have in-depth discussions with the owner where I learned a lot about the business and industry I was involved in.

Be ready to play your “A” Game if you work in a small company.  There’s no place to hide, and you will hear about it very quickly if you’re not performing.  Do your best to understand where the owner is coming from, and the pressure he or she may be under.  Be prepared to go a little further to get the job done than you may be accustomed to doing.

Finally, get to know yourself and how you’re wired.  Are you comfortable working in a small company with the owner’s office right next door to yours?  Do you want to be right in the middle of things, or insulated from ground zero by a couple of management levels?  These are questions that you need to have answers for before you start your job search.