Month: October 2015

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A summary of hiring tips (or the lessons I have learnt the hard way)

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Companies are formed by people. People who perform tasks, people who give directions, people who define the procedures and organize others. Companies are the result of peoples’ actions.

In order for a firm to succeed, it takes too many factors, only a small portion of which can be predicted. Factors such as whether the product will be the next big hit are not so easy to be defined. But we can do our best to rule out the factors which will definitely have a negative effect for our firm. A major one is making the right choice when it comes to the people you will work with.

The particularity of recruiting is that you need to sell and buy at the same time. You need to be able to sell the vacant position in a way that you will attract the most suitable candidates and at the same way buy the services of the most promising candidate.

This is how you will be able to take the first steps in a successful pathway.

I will try to summarize my experience into a few must-follow advices:

 

1. Tools at your services

A number of tools have been designed in order to facilitate the HR Department. Most of them refer to the administrative procedures that can be undertaken easier with the help of technology.

 

2. Emphasize less on typical skills

I have witnessed hires that didn’t work out so well despite the bold degrees. I am to blame for hires that were based mostly on common sense that all these years of experience would mean that the person can perform his duties. I have been arrogant enough so as to look down on candidates that didn’t have the certifications I was looking for. But then I decided to give a chance to less typically skilled candidates and to my big surprise they were a good fit. They blended in with the rest of the team and soon I couldn’t tell the difference.

 

3. Hire for the future

Depending on the circumstances, hiring can be made in order to cover a position that emptied out of the blue or for a more strategic purpose, in order to find a potential catch. In other words, young people with little to none experience who have the potential of becoming first-class employees after some training and culture embracing

 

4. Screening without engaging

Technology has developed new tools that help save time and resources. Long gone are the days when we used to rely on tools that passively scan through the resumes for key-words. We now have the opportunity to test the candidate on actual working conditions at a fraction of cost, and know whether he is fit for the job. Using such a test before setting up the interview can save too many man-hours and act as a catalyst for a successful hiring.

 

5. Pay less attention to skills that can be easily acquired

Hiring someone just for the skills he already has may result in a big mistake. For the simple reason that the specific person has developed this set of skills with time. So, unless you are definitely and urgently trying to find a custom-made candidate to fit in the position, you may want to consider that a candidate who needs training before getting to work may turn out to be more beneficial for the firm. Today training can be inexpensive, efficient and to the point, that’s why turning down a candidate just because he lacks an easy-to-acquire skill may not be such a good idea.

 

Unfortunately there is no one who can guarantee that a hire will turn out beneficial or not. This is the most important advice that you need to keep in mind. No matter how hard you may try, you will make mistakes. Come to terms with it and go on.

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Learn by DOING vs Learn by watching

Learn by DOING vs Learn by watching

 

 

 

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Download our article in .pdf format

 

Recent research comes to verify what Confucius said many years ago: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Carnegie Mellon University’s research proves that students may benefit up to six times more by interactive activities than by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) (read the full article http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/…/150914220526.htm).

Doing is incorporated with the nature of learning. We all know it. This is how we are brought up. At school we did not just listen to the teacher provide all sorts of valuable information and memorize it at once. We had to go home, process and practice all the information that we had been hearing about all day in order to actually learn it. And it has been working so far.

TIME – MONEY – EFFORT

This approach, however, has some drawbacks: It certainly requires time, money and effort. When it comes to today’s business world, time and money are two critical factors in deficiency. When it comes to our willingness to struggle about something, it is the effort that is in deficiency.

MOOC

The technology developed a few years ago has tried to provide an answer to this problem: MOOCs provide us with the opportunity to gain new skills quickly, just by watching inexpensive, pre-recorded video-lessons. As a result, too many content providers have appeared, offering too much content about almost everything we can imagine. And most of them are available for free or for a really affordable price. It sounds great! We no more have to strive, we no more need to pay too much money in order to enroll to classes, we just need to stay awake in front of a monitor which broadcasts a video-lesson and we will become wiser!

Unfortunately, as it turns out, this is not the case. Just by watching something we can only assimilate a small portion. Therefore, just by watching, we end up getting a general idea; we end up knowing that something can be done, but in most of the cases we are not in position of performing the task ourselves. This is the key point. Although the video-lessons are great at providing content, that content cannot be adequately digested by the audience.

We have to use technology for our benefit. We have to elevate the e-learning content from the one-way broadcasting of information that is at present, to an interactive exchange of expertise that will help those in need to actually build on stable foundations.

MOOC + multiple choice questions

A step towards more effective MOOCs would include video-lessons with incorporated closed-type questions. Closed type questions, such as multiple choice questions, however, can be the answer to testing the understanding of theoretical rather than practical subjects.

MOOC + in-application questions

When it comes to training on new technologies, office software and so on, modern technology gives us the tools to step forward. We can simply enhance the e-courses with online testing material that requires solving problems and performing tasks in order to reassure more satisfactory results.

Testing tools, such as TEST4U.EU, have been developed in order to facilitate the spreading of knowledge and self-study as well as the efficient evaluation and training of personnel in enterprises. The development of such services is the result of the actual need and demand of the market.

BENEFITS

This is not just another trend. Such an approach is beneficial for all parties. It doesn’t require significantly more resources than the simple e-learning approach; the time needed is about the same, and the cost remains at low levels. It does involve more effort however, because it can promise that the skills gained will be of a specified, higher quality.

CERTIFICATION UPON ASSIMILATION, NOT UPON COMPLETION

We could regard the e-learning as we know it as a primary version and level up to the new one which contains interactive features that guarantee the result of the training. Online Certifications upon proper assimilation of e-courses are next to come. Remember the words: upon assimilation. Not upon completion.