canadian headhunter

Hiring Junior Staff

Why when I was your age...my pappy would have....
we walked...I had to...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

The following comes from Leadership Now
(with some modest input by me).

Melvin Levine says:

Baby boomer parents cater to their kids.
So the kids have fantasies about life being fun.
This makes them unwilling to work.

So, when you hire a young kid, tell her
the facts of life, right off the bat.
(The angry edge makes it very "zen".)

1. First jobs aren't dream jobs.
That's tough. But you can learn a lot here so you
can get your dream job later on.

2. Work isn’t a party.
So what? We aren't paying you to have fun. And you know what? We all feel that way. Why? Because that's life. And if you aren't willing to tough it out you're going to be the loser.

3. Do a good job, not an OK job.
Or, before you know it, you'll be gone.
And I'll give you bad references.

4. Take your lumps like a grown woman.
I’m going to tell you what you do wrong.
Learn from it. Don't whine about it.

5. Your fantasies don't determine your salary.
The market does. Think about it.

6. We know you're a genius.
But, here, you do what I say. We'll set up a time for your feedback. But don't be a smart ass or I'll hate your guts.
And consider this: your ideas might be wrong.

7. I might be an ass.
But you're stuck with me for now. So make the best of it.
And you know what else? You might be one too.

8. There are three ways to deal with problems.
a) You can whine.
b) You can do something destructive
c) You can do something productive.
You choose.

Interviewing Junior Staff

These ideas can be built into interviews to find out junior candidates think and to let them know how your values.

Here are some possible questions.

1. Some people believe that your dream job will come later in life.
And that your early jobs are not always fun but are great opportunites to learn. What are your thoughts about that.

2. Do you know what factors determine your salary?

3. Have you ever been in a situation in which your boss tells you to do something and you know a better way to do it? Tell me about it.

4. Have you ever had a boss who gave you feedback on your performance? Did she focus on your weaknesses or your strengths? How did you respond?

5. Let's say someone needs a job so she accepts work that isn't exciting. Then she doesn't bring a total commitment to doing a great job but only does enough to get by. What do you think is going to happen?

6. Have you ever had a boss who was a jerk?
How did you handle it? Or, how would you handle it?

7. Do you think that work is always going to be fun?
If it's not fun, do you think that's unfair?

Guilt-Tripping Baby Boomers

Targetting Baby Boomer parents is just a scam to sell books.

The "I Deserve-To-Enjoy-Life Syndrome" was present in the Baby Boomers themselves, not just their kids. It's the product of education and prosperity.

Before that came the Depression when desperate people were happy to get any job they could.

And, before that, well even when there wasn't a Depression money was scarce so you couldn't take a job lightly if you wanted to stay alive let alone prosper.