Job and General Employment Thread

[shafnutz05]

Pimping the company product already. What a sheep.

[MR25]

Had my interview for the one open position in our office yesterday. They really want to keep me around. Best case scenario is I get the job I applied for. Next best is the person whose job I currently back up (she was, AFAIK, the only other interview they had) gets the job and I get hers.

[Kicksave]

@shafnutz05

Open question to any other hiring managers. I'm interviewing a few candidates for a sales position next week. Any tips on questions to ask?

[Pavel Bure]

@shafnutz05

Open question to any other hiring managers. I'm interviewing a few candidates for a sales position next week. Any tips on questions to ask?

Sales? Can they build relationships, are they organized, are they competitive, and are they consistent.

[shafnutz05]

@shafnutz05

Open question to any other hiring managers. I'm interviewing a few candidates for a sales position next week. Any tips on questions to ask?

I would recommend Googling behavioral interviewing, it's worth a read and I don't have the time to go through it all on here. Personality is huge, right? If they are going to be a part of a team, asking questions about how they've worked with others in the past in a competitive environment.

But I know it's just a sales position, but you're obviously going to be looking for two things: personality/outgoing nature, and proven results. Ask them about their approach, and what they feel their responsibility is to their client. I know that sounds weird, but the way they answer it will say a lot.

[mac5155]

Tell me about a time when you had to talk someone into doing something they didn't want to do?

[meow]

I've used the question, "Pretend this room is a room in my house and I've hired you as a painter to paint it for me. Explain your process." for customer facing positions.

[Factorial]

Tell me about a time when you had to talk someone into doing something they didn't want to do?

In that field of work no doubt.

[NTP66]

It's at a dealership, correct? Have them try and sell you a car, for starters.

[Silentom]

What kind of discounts do 5AF members get at your dealership?

[NTP66]

What kind of discounts do 5AF members get at your dealership?

A drink coaster.

[count2infinity]

Wife got a promotion for the next school year. Will be upgraded from a supervising teaching assistant to lecturer and then hopefully with a few years in, get into some sort of tenure track job. It'll be nice to have the extra $ that comes with the promotion.

Kind of a weird way they went about it. They couldn't just hire her, they had to post the job. It's already hers, but I'm curious as to how many people are going to apply to this job and just have zero shot at it. And I'm also wondering how many of those kind of jobs I applied to where they had no real interest in hiring people, they already had someone locked in, but had to post the job for some sort of legal reason. I'm sure it happens much more often than I think. It's nice to be on this side of it this time.

[shafnutz05]

And I'm also wondering how many of those kind of jobs I applied to where they had no real interest in hiring people, they already had someone locked in, but had to post the job for some sort of legal reason.

It happens less often for more entry-level positions, but it happens all...the...time. I've come to start calling them "Uncle Louies", as in, "My Uncle Louie is interested in this job, let's just post it and get him on board".

[NTP66]

Most private companies follow that, though I don't believe it's actually required unless it's a civil service job or a union is involved. Every one of my last four promotions had to be posted publicly per HR's own rules, but they were all pulled after the first day. We recently did the same for a coworker, and wound up with half a dozen internal candidates applying for the position before it was pulled, and were forced to interview all of them. It did nothing but delay his promotion, but I do think it's kinda shitty for those who thought they had a shot at it.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Yeah, I had a friend who was a sabbatical replacement visiting instructor for two years (two different faculty members on sabbatical) at U of Idaho who had to go through the whole job interview process even though the job was basically offered to him. Yes, he had to get a letter of recommendation from the department chair, who was also chairing the search committee. For a candidate to be hired, all the boxes have to be checked. It was awkward when the other no chance candidates got the tour of their building...he had to play dumb. The whole process stinks, especially for the no chancers.


On another note, our time sheets were due Friday, and despite my repeated reminders, the one staff member failed to fill her time sheet out. She would be the first to lawyer up if she didn't get paid, too. I went in and filled it out for her, because if I didn't, the payroll coordinator would have to do it and not deduct sick and vacation leave. So now I need to track her leave time, because she refuses to.

[meow]

One of my DRs has a DR that can't remember her time sheet either. His solution was to have a reoccurring meeting with her every other Friday at 10 am (time is due at 9) where he would meet her in a conference room with a laptop and "show" her how to fill out her sheet. If she submitted by 9, he would cancel the meeting. She got the picture after two meetings.

[NTP66]

Stop being an enabler, DG66.

[DigitalGypsy66]

That's not a bad idea...but man, I shouldn't have to that with a 50 year old that's worked here for four years.

[tifosi77]

DG, are you buds with anyone in your payroll dept? I'd work it out with them the next time the lady forgets her timesheet that you submit one to her and they cut her a hard check (I'm assuming this is normally direct deposit?), and then when her paycheck isn't deposited let her freak out. "Let me see what I can do," you say, as a responsible manager.

This could be awkward if there are like auto-pay bills she has set up or something. But honestly, let her go unpaid (normally) one pay period. If it occurs at all again after that instance, it might be time to thin the herd.

[columbia]

We discussed this a few months ago...it's both perplexing and annoying.

[DigitalGypsy66]

I have her annual review coming up next month and I will have to put her on an improvement plan for this and a few other issues.

Other than that, I really can't do anything like withhold her direct deposit. I've checked, and the new HR folks do things by the book with an eye to keeping litigation far, far away. Now, five years ago, when HR was a one woman show, she would've held the check the first time the time sheet wasn't submitted.

[NTP66]

IMO, the people who tend to get away with stuff like that generally continue to do so because they know they can get away with it. You're much more patient than I would have been with her.

[dodint]

Evacuation test for the Federal Building. Blah. There goes my morning.

I started running again yesterday. Every muscle is screaming, and now I get to go down and up 11 flights of stairs.

[mac5155]

Offer to be a test dummy for the Evacuation Chairs.

[dodint]

Followed a blind guy into the stairwell. As soon as he hit the first step he got his bearings and ran up the stairs, leaving me well behind.