Hiring overqualified candidates may be a boon, not burden

Published on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009

Mr. Jhunjhunwala is looking to hire a person for an entry-level position requiring a commerce degree and one year of relevant experience. Wading through the applications, he chances upon Mr. Mehta’s resume with a master’s degree and five years of field experience. The surprise turns to apprehension and the profile gets rejected immediately. Yes, hiring managers are often prone to prematurely dismissing ‘over-qualified’ candidates!

The problem is that such managers are totally ruled by hiring criteria and the template approach makes them exclude even the slightest mismatch, no matter how proficient the candidate may be.

With the economy hurtling into a recession and talent wars resounding in every corner, can we really afford to let a ‘prized catch’ slip through our fingers, and so easily at that? In fact, in today’s tough times, letting great potential walk away will cost more than just the investment spent to identify the prospect.

A candidate may appear much better than the position applied for, but top talent, experience and high qualifications always come at a premium. So, you have your choice – but rush it and you will only rue the decision later.

Square pegs & round holes: Overqualified candidates come with a threatening stigma attached to them. For instance, Mr. Jhunjhunwala’s reluctance can stem from the fear that Mr. Mehta will try to intimidate his colleagues, even be averse to following orders from a ‘lesser-qualified’ manager and end up damaging company morale. There is also the looming prospect that he will shortly start feeling bored and dissatisfied with the ‘inferior’ job, eventually turning into resentment. Either way he will surely leave as soon as he finds a better job. The scales obviously tilt in favour of a fresher who will be more motivated, acquiescent and likely to stay much, much longer.

Well, this can be a clear case of operating on too many assumptions, and biased ones at that. Can we ignore the fact that the ‘overqualified’ candidate, Mr. Mehta is walking into the job with his eyes wide open? Isn’t he well aware that he will have to settle for lesser responsibilities, pay and be prepared for the same?

It also pays to remember that with layoffs becoming the order of the day, the dwindling job options often force highly qualified candidates to pursue inferior job openings.

And if your assumptions are still true, how is it possible that many smart bosses cannot stop gushing over the wisdom, problem-solving skills, reliability and work ethic their seemingly overqualified workers have brought to their organisations. They actually count themselves lucky to have hired people with more ability than the jobs require!’

Smart thing to do: The fact of the matter is that the very same overqualified candidates that you are in a hurry to screen out can actually contribute significantly to the organisational development. The critical point is to handle them with finesse and maturity.

A proactive way is to concentrate on harnessing the dynamic talent that has fallen in your lap. You can scour for other internal opportunities befitting the skills of the ‘overqualified’ candidate or even choose to carve out an appropriate position.

What is important is that you should test for things like compatibility and culture fit. If positive, at times you can even go to the extent of weaving an organisation structure around the candidate’s potential. Wait and watch, and he may just turn out to be your best hire!

As Tushar Mehta, Vice-president, Global Delivery, Systime, says with evident pride, “We always seek people who have the talent, attitude and the work ethic to perform their role and grow with the company. If we find someone who meets the criteria, but is overqualified for a particular position, we consider that as a great opportunity to grow both the position and the person.”

Moreover, strategic recruitment with a long-term perspective is the key to successful hiring. This calls for a different approach, to look beyond the current open positions and envisage the future. The focus should shift to roping in the available candidates for building a talent pipeline for the future.

You have to determine how the ‘overqualified’ candidate can contribute to the company as a whole, by keeping his broad accomplishments, performance and goals in mind. This ‘big picture’ perspective will help you to put him in the right role and sail the organisation through the tough times.

In short, start matching people to roles instead of the other way round. Afterall, there is no upper limit to expertise, is there?

PAYAL CHANANIA

Express thoughts clearly to clear GD round

Published on Wednesday, Feb 04, 2009

Corporates today look to all round competence and not just core skills in a job aspirant, for selection. All aspects of behaviour, attitude, culture fitness and overall the zeal to be a professional is tested time and again. GD brings out your abilities to communicate and make your point of view effectively in a given situation. How you fare in a GD determines your success rate.

The Group Discussion (GD) forms an important part of the recruitment process. It is used after the written test and before the interview, so as to select the best candidate for the job.

This is basically an open discussion on a thought-provoking topic or a case study by a group of job candidates without any leader. You will be given a topic or a situation and a few minutes to think about the same. Then you have to express your views and discuss it for a specified period of time.

Organisations conduct group discussions to assess whether the job applicant has certain personality traits and group skills that it desires in its employees like reasoning ability, assertiveness, creativity, flexibility, initiative, team spirit, interpersonal and leadership skills which normally cannot be evaluated in an interview. The goal is to determine how well you will fit in with the organisation.

A panel will observe your understanding of the main idea, contributions to the discussion, patience, assertiveness and cooperation.

Tips for success

Communication skills - You have to express your thoughts clearly, calmly and confidently before a group of people without becoming nervous or sounding boring. Be articulate, generate ideas, create a positive impact and hold the attention of the audience. You should also speak assertively when voicing opinions, so as to be able to convince others.

Ability to listen carefully to others and then reacting on what they say, adding points or asking probing questions is another quality that makes you stand out amongothers. Another point is to never interrupt somebody or speak loudly over others.

Language skills – This is important only to the extent of getting your points across clearly and fluently. Use formal, simple and direct language. Avoid slang words and informal phrases.

Subject knowledge - You are not analysed for your knowledge of the topic, only your ability to deal with it. Yet, knowledge of the subject under discussion will lead to clear ideas and critical opinions. You will also sound confident, convincing and enthusiastic. So, read on varied topicsranging from politics, finance, economy, and technology to current affairs regularly.

Yet, if you do not know the topic, do not speak out and display your ignorance. Listen to the discussion carefully and don’t start participating until you have clearly understood the subject. Take the time to organise your thoughts and come up with valid points that you can contribute.

Team membership - Your behaviour in the group is on test, i.e. how you function and interact in a team and get best results out of teamwork. Also, whetheryou are a loner or can work effectively with others, try to maintain a rapport with fellow participants without alienating anybody.

Leadership - You can showcase your leadership qualities in the GD through your performance. Look for opportunities to lead, direct, influence or inspire other candidates. Like, if someone hesitates to speak or is cut off constantly, you can encourage him to make his point by agreeing with him, adding on to his points or implicitly giving him direction. Similarly, try to subtly motivate others to speak, coordinate their efforts and create consensus.

Start & End – Opening and concluding the GD will help you to gain attention and make a favourable impression. Also, participate actively by expressing intelligent opinions, sound arguments, giving evidence and relating experiences relevant to the discussion. Be thoughtful, cheerful, cooperative and helpful not vague, superfluous or exaggerating.

Body language - Be aware of your body language and mannerisms, as they are more likely to reflect your attitude than what you say. Non-verbal gestures such as eye contact, listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone’s viewpoint speak of you positively.

Participating in mock GDs will give you a good idea about the clarity of your thoughts, expression and convincing abilities as well as expose you to new perspectives and broadenyour thought process!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Smooth onboarding must in times of recession

Published on Wednesday, Feb 04, 2009

In today’s tough, recession-hit times, with companies tightening their recruitment costs, can you afford to cart along astronomical new hire turnover rates, that too simply due to gross negligence. I am sure the unanimous answer is a resounding ‘no’. Then, in spite of spending precious time, effort and resources on recruiting the right candidates, why don’t companies bother to prime themselves to accept the new employees into their fold? Unsurprisin gly, more than 50 per cent of new hires tend to leave their jobs within the first six months recession or no recession.

This is why recruitment does not end with merely finding the ‘perfect’ candidates with the right skills, experience and culture fit.

The initial 100 days (some even argue that it extends to six months) are the most crucial time for any new hire. This is when the company has to literally hold his hand and walk him through the unfamiliar territory so that he can start off on the right foot.

Yet, most companies negligently throw the new hires into the fray, leaving them to sink or swim all on their own. Little wonder then that the abandoned freshers find themselves isolated, bewildered and frustrated. Sorely regretting their decision, despite finding a job in the tough times, they leave soon and the company finds itself right back where it had started. What’s more, with the global slowdown putting the economy on a decelerated track, companies cannot afford to discard their new hires without a second thought. Neither can they get by with slipshod disorganised attempts at orienting employees.

Companies have to realise that the early days on the job are quite critical to the employee’s success. This is when you can shape his perception, assimilate him into the new environment and pave the way for high morale, engagement, productivity as well as the all-important loyalty.

This is where a formal onboarding process enters the picture. The organisation has to lay the foundation for a long-term relationship by engaging the employee, communicating the company message and doing everything else possible to ensure that he gets off to a quick start. As Eric Wood, President of EnviroSense, Inc., a US based environmental consulting firm, points out, “With a thorough orientation and onboarding process, the probability of achieving the goals of the business and the employee are greatly increased. Without it, the probabilities of disappointment, employee turnover, re-work, and dissatisfied clients all grow unnecessarily”.

Unknown terrain

Organisations will do well to craft a carefully structured and professionally-delivered onboarding process that provides a variety of experiences from introduction to the team, meeting the manager, knowledge of company and job objectives, understanding review procedures to a guided tour of the facilities.

Here it should be pointed out that an orientation programme is just a part of the comprehensive onboarding process as the latter extends over a longer duration (a month to even a year) and includes assigning a ‘buddy’, mentoring and feedback.

It begins with a clear understanding of the company vision, mission, values and culture. But, make sure that the onboarding is not reduced to a data dump where the flabbergasted employee is bombarded with mind-numbing rules, regulations, policies and lectures.

An effective technique is to keep the employee engaged by highlighting the nature of his work, explaining why the job is important and how his role fits into the big picture. Even stories or examples can be narrated to present a vivid picture of captivating memories. The main focus should be on making the employee feel welcome as a valued team member, show that he will be a part of the organisation and everyone is happy to have him aboard. Moreover, nothing can be more off-putting than a scowling, sour-faced or dull guide. Have a trained coach in place who will provide thorough information and active support while making the experience engaging and fun.

In other words, create an interactive and interesting experience that makes the new hire feel excited; motivated and connected, basking in the confidence that he has made the ‘right choice’.

Also, organise periodic check-ins with the new employee to measure his progress as he settles in and adjusts to the job. Make it comfortable for him to provide feedback and show that you are really interested in getting honest opinions.

To sum up, companies should recognise the importance of having a well-conceived onboarding programme or preparing new hires to succeed. Even recent surveys uphold that employees who attend a structured orientation programme are 69 per cent more likely to remain with the company after three years than those who did not go through such a programme.

PAYAL CHANANIA

When running a job search, maintain maximum confidentiality

Published on Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009

The recent downturn has left everyone jittery about job security. People are running from pillar to post for a secure job, maybe just as a safety net at times. But the ironic twist is that employees cannot afford to jeopardise their current positions either.

Even the slightest whiff that you are looking elsewhere for better prospects and you are dropped like a hot potato!

This threat of being found out can severely handicap your job search. The grave fear of ending up on the chopping block makes many people refrain from posting their resumes online. They contact very limited organisations and refuse to respond to blind ads, as the ‘classified’ company could very well be their very own employer. Needless to say, the employed jobseekers miss out on some of the best opportunities, all because they cannot afford to get caught!

Well, the good news is that, you can actually pursue good openings, appear for interviews and land the job you want – all in secret.

Here are the rules of the game:

Resume Camouflage – Running a secret job search does not mean that you cannot post your resume on online job boards or answer job classified advertisements. What you must do is exercise prudence while posting/submitting your resume.

• Omit your name and personal contact information from the resume at all costs. If needed, you can mention ‘omitted for confidentiality’ and give a post office number rather than your residential address.

• Never ever use your company email address in your contact information. Provide a private email address (preferably a new one used just for the job search). Make sure that you keep the email address generic, yet professional.

• Similarly, avoid using the office computer, telephone or fax machine in your job search as you can easily be caught red-handed. Always give your mobile or home number for contact purposes.

• Do not mention your company name or unique job title as it can very well blow your cover. State a brief description of your employer and job, like, ‘Fortune 100 IT company’, ‘Top management consulting firm’, ‘Network administrator’ or ‘Senior consultant’. You can even stick to a brief description of the company and job.

• Omit other resume details like graduation date or college if they can hint at your identity.

• Do not make the mistake of disclosing references; always state that they will be ‘provided on request’.

• When posting your resume online, use the anonymous privacy settings so that your organisation does not accidentally stumble across your resume. What’s more, many employers are taking to running regular resume searches of their own employees to catch them out.

• Make sure that you use the ‘company blocker’ service provided by job boards to specifically prevent specific companies including your own one from accessing your resume. As a top online employment and recruitment consultant, Margaret Riley advises, “To maximise your confidentiality, first get a copy of the list of companies allowed to view the site, then block the names you want. Never leave this task for a website to perform.”

• When responding to job classifieds, you can even state that you wish anonymity because of your current employment situation.

Alternative search techniques – You can use other job search options to conceal your name until after you land the interview, or at times even later. Tap into your network of contacts to gain personal referrals for your target job. Your contact can recommend your name in person, on the phone or by email to build your credibility and also explain the need for privacy. But, be careful that the contact is trustworthy and not employed by your company or a subsidiary.

Another option is to develop a personal relationship with recruitment firms in your industry and alert them to avoid indiscriminate resume blasting. You can provide a list of selected companies or request them to contact you before proposing your name for a job opening.

Discretion is the better part of valour – Irrespective of whatever job search means you employ, never ever advertise the fact at work. Your boss or co-workers are bound to smell something fishy if you unexpectedly start dressing up formally to work, arrive late, leave early, take excessive leaves or start slacking off.

Try to schedule interviews before or after work hours or during the lunch hour, if possible.

Also, refrain from bragging about your job search to even your closest colleagues as they may very well spill the beans, sometimes even inadvertently.

All said and done, always keep in mind that despite your best precautions, 100 per cent confidentiality is never guaranteed!

PAYAL CHANANIA

If you get a bad review stay calm, do not overreact

Published on Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009

The economic slowdown is already shaking your sense of job security and all you needed was the negative performance appraisal to further rock the boat and place you in a precarious position. All you can think of is packing your bags as you dread the prospect of job-hunting again.

Well, fact of the matter is that good performers earn excellent reviews and the organisation is glad to have them on board, while the substandard evaluations are reserved for the poor, inefficient and mediocre ones.

Earning a bad review would be quite disappointing at any given time, but the current scenario is enough to drive the best of us into depression.

You can actually turn around the ‘needs improvement’ tag, using the devastating blow as an impetus to actually excel in your career.

So, its time to pull up your socks and get to work as your continued success depends on how you handle the review, place it in context and come out on tops.

Time to stay calm: It’s hard to keep your cool when your world is crashing around you.

You find yourself swinging between anger, tension, negativity and ultimately denial, which effectively drowns out what your boss is actually saying. You may even go into defensive mode and reject the evaluation outright.

You have to keep your anger, fear and hurt emotions aside for a while. Try to stay composed and professional instead of overreacting unnecessarily.

Time to listen: The key to recovering from a poor performance appraisal is to first give it a fair hearing – this can help more than you could ever imagine.

Sit down, keep an open mind and listen to the constructive criticism and feedback in the spirit in which it is being given. Later you will realise that it is for your own good. You can even note the salient points or request a copy of the appraisal.

Time to mourn: Bottling up your distress, indignation or anxiety will not do you any good either.

Find a trusted shoulder to cry on – a neutral family member or friend – and give vent to your feelings.

You can even seek counsel and insight from a mentor or guide.

What you should never do is complain or gossip about the review with colleagues as it can only make matters worse.

Time to think: Once done, sit down to organise your thoughts and reflect on what was said. Objectively introspect on your overall performance and try to make a reasonable assessment. Re-read the appraisal and decide whether you agree with the review and what points you would like to raise again.

Time to discuss: Now approach your manager for a calm, detailed discussion to understand the review and clarify your doubts.

You can seek examples, examine areas where you need improvement and also confer on what you did well. The focus should be on figuring out the root cause, where you are going wrong and how to change.

Also request suggestions and advice on how to do better while offering some of your own.

This will show that you have analysed the review and are genuinely interested, willing and motivated to improve the quality of your work.

Time to take ownership: The discussion will enable you to view the situation from a different perspective. You should own up to your faults and agree to fix the problem. But, if you feel that there is some misunderstanding or disagreement with the criticism, point it out respectfully. You should also be armed with sufficient evidence of your abilities or performance to back up your claims.

Time to grow: Use the appraisal as an impetus to propel you to improve and do better. Draw up a concrete plan with goals and timelines and work hard on achieving the same.

This will facilitate you to fix the damage and emerge as a productive and effective employee.

The management is bound to recognise you as an industrious, positive and valuable asset who is worth keeping!

To sum up, bad reviews are in no way the end of the world. As a top career expert puts it, “Poor reviews might feel like a career breaker for most people, but the truth is a bad performance review can be a career maker!”

PAYAL CHANANIA