About Me

Colleen Gillis has been recruiting many years, working with national corporate organizations as well as small independent operations. Her expertise on the hiring climate in Canada, best candidate pratices, and employment standards have been a valuable resorce for candidates searching for the next step in their career.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Knowledge Drain in Your Company

Each company I recruit for recognizes that knowledge is the key element in hiring a new employee. Knowledge about the company, how to perform their role, how to attract and please their customers, how to deal with staf issues - all part of what they look for in a new hire and a successful long-term employee.

It is precisely knowledge that companies pay for in valued employees, whether it be in paying top salary for someone who knows what their doing, knows the industry, knows the community and market, or in paying to train them to know the company's culture, policies, procedures that set them apart from the competition. It's all about knowledge and we entrust that knowledge in our employees - but how does the increasing mobility of the work force and impending baby boomer retirements drain your company of its most tangible asset?

"We are facing a severe and pervasive problem and almost no one seems to be doing anything about it," said Beazley, a former professor at George Washington University and now chairman of the Strategic Leadership Group in Arlington, Va.

Beazley cautions that the Information Age relies on the transfer of knowledge, which now is being done haphazardly.

"`How do I keep knowledge in my business?' should be the question every manager asks today," he said. "It's never been as important."

In the Information Age, knowledge is power. And transferring that knowledge from worker to worker is the key to success. This is an argument he spells out in his new book "Continuity Management," written with co-authors Jeremiah Boenisch and David Harden.

"You have to remember that we have switched very rapidly from the Industrial Age to the Information Age," Beazley says. "The knowledge of the company is not in its database, but in the heads of its employees. It is loaned to the company and goes home with the employees. We are just starting to grapple with that. It is not something we needed to worry about 30 years ago."

In the Industrial Age, you replaced a body with a body. The Information Age requires the hiring of one mind to replace another. The task is simply not as easy.


"Everything has shifted," he said. "It is no longer a badge of honor to stay with a company. In fact, it is held against you. These forces are occurring, but we haven't done anything to assure that knowledge is retained within our companies when people leave."

The intensity of these forces has stunned executives, Beazley said.

"I think it is so shocking that they are in denial," he said. "They want to put off dealing with it because they can't quite believe it is really happening. But it is."

If there is an alarm buzzer, executives seem to be hitting the snooze button.

"The point is that if you let employees leave today or you terminate them, it's not a cost savings," Beazley said. "It is a disposal of assets. If you can't retain knowledge, you can't be a learning organization.

"The phrase we keep hearing today is to `work smarter.' How do you work smarter? You do it with knowledge. You can't allow knowledge to escape from your organization."

Downsizing and the increasing use of temporary and contract employees should be enough to guarantee that a mobile work force is certain in the future. At the same time, flattened organizational structures mean each company has more decision-makers working for it.

The question becomes: What will executives do to ensure that what those employees know is transferred to others before the learning curve has to be repeated?

Beazley is the first to admit that his concerns should be self-evident.

"It's so obvious that we expect people to be doing it. When people hear about this, they look at me like everyone already knows this. But when I ask them what their company is doing about it, the answer is always, `Nothing.'"

That's the wrong answer.

[Source:Michael Kinsman. "Career: When employees hit exits, knowledge leaves." The Sun - Plainfield (IL). 2002.]

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Frugal Ideas to Manage in a Struggling Economy

In a difficult economy, many companies look at a wide spectrum of options to reduce labour costs. This is no different in the hospitality industry over the past year and a half where we've seen managers and front line staff laid off, hours cut for entry level workers, and increased demand on the remaining management and team that is asked to cope with less, and do more, in lieu of the struggling economy.

In order to retain these people that we rely on to manage at this time, look to some ideas provided by the Families and Work Institute(FWI). These frugal tips may help save your organization money while also creating a positive work environment that will encourage staff loyalty and peak performance:


1. Giving head office employees four Fridays off in the summer in lieu of raises the organization cannot afford.

2. Providing employees with information to better manage their own finances.

3. Allowing head office employees to work at home one to two days a week to save on commuting costs in response to fluctuating gas prices.

4. Creating funds to support their own employees or others in the community who are suffering during the recession.

5. Giving employees the option to take unlimited, unpaid personal time off during the downturn, while keeping full medical benefits and the right to return to their jobs.

6. Allowing employees greater scheduling flexibility if their spouse has lost a job or seen their hours reduced and the family needs to make changes.

7. Creating flex-year and flex-career programs.

8. Creating workflow coordinators to monitor overwork and creating wellness scorecards to promote wellness.

9. Providing a coach for new parents.

"In many ways, the recession has led increasing numbers of employers to improve their workplaces so that they work for the employer and the employees during these difficult times," said Ellen Gallinsky, president and co-founder of FWI.

[Source: Human Resources Leader, 29 September 2009]

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Boom Workers

Job Interviews for the Baby Boomer Generation

In a time when the economy is struggling and unemployment high, it means challenges for all job and career seekers but perhaps moreso for the Baby Boomer Generation.

In life, perception is often reality and there are many perceptions of the mature candidate. Those who fall into this category must anticipate what they potentially are and be prepared to overcome them. Let’s examine these areas of concern, both spoken and unspoken, that many employers consider when interviewing the Baby Boomer generation.

Perception #1: Baby Boomers are “overpriced”. Because of this, they are more likely to be made redundant in a bad economy. Younger workers are more “affordable”. Even if older workers are willing to take a pay cut or make a lateral move in regard to money to get the job, employers sometimes fear that their job satisfaction will be compromised at a lower or equal salary and that they won’t stay or be motivated.

Perception #2: They’re settling. Employers fear that if the mature candidate has been unemployed awhile and previously employed in a capacity beyond that for which they’re interviewing, they’re only willing to take the position until something better comes along. In other words, they simply need a job.

Perception #3: They’re looking for a retirement home. Motivations are attributed to having a place to hang their hat for a few years and get benefits. This is usually far from the truth, but can be a concern nonetheless.

Perception #4: They’ve lost the “edge”. An underlying fear here is that older workers won’t have the same drive and determination as they once did, the belief being that their younger counterparts may be “hungrier”.

Perception #5: Their credentials aren’t equivalent to those of their younger counterparts. Sometimes older workers don’t have the same educational credentials as younger workers. Baby Boomers more often went to the ’school of hard knocks’ as opposed to going the traditional educational route as is more common today. An education back then, though important, didn’t carry the weight it does today in many companies and organizations.

Perception #6: They’re limited in flexibility. Younger workers tend to be more mobile either to relocate or travel, whether now or in the future. In some careers, that can be a benefit to a corporation.

Perception #7: They’re overqualified. This perception can be valid. Older workers often find themselves interviewing for positions with someone they could easily have managed themselves at some point in their careers. It can be intimidating to a younger manager.

Perception #8: They don’t portray the right image for the company or fit with the culture. Appearance is a factor, especially in sales positions or any position where you’re meeting with the public. Older people sometimes face discrimination based on the ‘image factor’. Whether fair or not - it is reality.

Perception #9: They’re outdated. Their skills may be outdated, especially in technical areas like computers. Older workers may not be able to keep up with the Gen Y’er’s in terms of computer social networking abilities. This is changing as the mature worker becomes more Internet-aware but it is still a reservation on the part of some younger managers.

Perception #10: They’re rigid. The “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” mentality is a factor. There are concerns that mature employees won’t be able to adapt to new ways of doing things or that they are set in their ways and have preconceived views of how things are and should be.

This list can be daunting for those in transition. It would seem with all these possible roadblocks, a seasoned job hunter would never get hired. Let’s dispel that myth. It happens every day, but to bust that myth in your own personal situation, being forewarned is forearmed. If you understand the mindset of some employers and interviewers and the possible perceptions you’ll face, you can be ready to deal with and overcome them to your advantage.


What do older workers bring to the table that can overcome these objections? A number of things:

1. Life experience. This can not be bought or learned in a college. Traveling the road of life, you learn to deal with a myriad of situations and gain the ability to overcome obstacles. Common sense can’t be taught or easily gained without experience.

2. Skills to overcome adversity. Mature candidates generally are more adept at problem solving and have a track record of doing so. Again, it comes with experience.

3. Stability. An older person is actually NOT as likely to ‘job hop’ within a year or two. The younger candidate is far more likely to move from one company to another for a slight increase in salary, title, or opportunity.

4. The ability to take on a mentoring role. There is research now that indicates that the Gen Yer’s who have a reputation for doing things in an ‘out of the box’ fashion are embracing the traditional as a ‘new way’. They value the input from Baby Boomers in the workplace. They often want to learn from them and use them as mentors in furthering their career objectives.

5. Less conflicts. Older workers are not as likely to have family issues that interfere with their jobs. Their children are grown, gone, and established.


How can you, as a mature candidate compete in this marathon to the job offer?

1. Bearing all of the above advantages in mind, don’t underestimate your value. Incorporate some of these concepts into your interview presentation, especially if you run into objections.

2. Stay abreast of changes in the industry. All industries evolve, and this is especially true of hospitality, change and adapt to the fluctuations of the market. Stay on top of the industry trends.

3. Learn to be a social networking whiz. Okay, I never believed personally that I’d be a social networking devotee, but I am. It’s becoming essential in this world. Know that and decide to be aware and active.

4. Take classes to enhance skills you lack. These might include computer skills, technical skills that are industry specific, or enhancing your public speaking if that’s a benefit. Keep learning!

5. Learn to package your skills in accordance with the employer specifications. Past duties and functions are of value if packaged correctly and portrayed in the right way.

6. Stay active in order to demonstrate the ‘fire in the belly’ attitude. Drive and determination are still highly desired in employees, and older workers who can show that they continue to meet and exceed their life goals have a better chance of finding gainful employment.

Most importantly, keep a positive attitude and remember,you still have a lot to contribute.

[Source: article by Mark Ste. Marie, http://internsover40.blogspot.com/2009/09/job-interview-problems-solutions-for.html]