Month: April 2020

The hiring decision between typical (Jaime) and maximal (Avery) performance.

If I was a business owner I would hire Jaime because this individual is consistent. I can focus on running a business while Jaime contributes and performs the job hired for. Otherwise, if I selected Avery I would feel like I am rewarding someone that is inconsistent although bright. The lack of consistency would make it a challenge to manage and would create difficulties in work flow and completion of tasks. In addition, if I owned a business I would want my selection practices to support the business strategy and goals as well as the values of the organization. Having a slacker as an employee would not support those values and would set the wrong tone in the organization. 

Avery could be a better fit as a writer, marketing consultant or temporary worker that can set either a convenient work schedule that is flexible to their work product and deliverables or a limited duration project. The high potential and ability of Avery is definitely valuable when compared to Jaime. While Jaime offers consistency, there is a limit to the performance but when we set Avery to a task we have the potential to achieve something amazing in complex tasks.

A job that requires constant inputs would be better suited for Jaime such as a receptionist,  administrative assistant, crew leader, and delivery driver. In order for an individual to be successful in these roles, consistency and dependability are a must. Otherwise, even if Avery can achieve complex tasks but cannot complete all of the deliveries of the day, then this individual is not meeting the minimum expectations of the job. Jamie is more valuable in task based jobs because the work product will be constant and reliable. 

My  brand as a potential employee is in the establishment stage and the best advertising for me has been Linkedin so far. Nicte Chandler as a brand offers employers a high performing trusted advisor building people solutions in their organization. Offering a well rounded background in all functional areas of HR is a main strength while bargaining agreements be a new challenge. 

Last quarter I took a Marketing course for the MBA program and that inspired me to make an infographic resume about myself as I wanted to do something creative and memorable for employers. While I still have a chronological old-school resume, and a functional resume, I felt the need to have one that was more creative for a rainy day.  I have also made one-pagers to potential employers as a medium of having them know more about me, my personality and who I am as a candidate.

Job descriptions or JD’s for short, usually provide us a snapshot of what the role may encompass on a day to day, the minimum qualifications set forth by the employer and the essential functions of the role.

I remember when I took on my current job about a year ago, a recruiter reached out to me and forwarded me the job description for review. I looked at it and the qualifications were right in line with my education and experience. The JD painted a picture for me of what the job entailed, which areas of HR I would have oversight of, what my main responsibilities were, who the position reported to, as well as physical essential functions of the job. I remember reading the job description and thinking it was a good fit for me and decided to move forward and interview for the company.  The job description is below for review.

I recall being an applicant in the past for other positions and the JD deterred me from applying when my experience was not a match or if the position’s goals, areas of focus and day to day responsibilities are not in line with those that I enjoy. Therefore, job descriptions can attract candidates that fit the bill, but it can also cause candidates to select themselves out of the process if they don’t think their qualifications match and the job itself does not appeal to their interests. 

Discrimination in the workplace has been a hot topic and it has been a popular source of content for news outlets. While some companies may in fact have discriminatory practices (by disparate impact or disparate treatment) there are times where employees may feel dissatisfied with the company, their decision making, and values and may feel like they are being treated unfairly or discriminated.

Recently, I was in a meeting with a manager and an employee. The employee claimed he was being discriminated since a co-worker made more money than he did and he mentioned that he could produce the same work as his co-worker. Bold statement, especially since he has been in a personal improvement plan due to his low quality of work, inability to read complex schematics and to difficulty communicating and not asking questions when in doubt . These performance issues resulted in several costly mistakes on his part as well as having to re-work projects. After explaining compensable value, ranges of pay and performance pay, he was still dissatisfied with his rate of pay but understood where the differences in pay and was more interested in knowing the path towards advancement rather than just asking for a higher raise. The employee gained pay understanding and this created a shift in his feelings of inequity and discrimination.

Moral of the story is, I do not believe everything I hear on the news because I have seen both sides working in HR. My perceptions of the company would be changed based on the evidence and claims made. My decisions to support or apply to the company would depend on the facts of the claims, if they were corroborated,  as well as how egregious they may have been.

By Nicte Chandler