{"id":38062,"date":"2020-01-23T07:52:25","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T15:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=38062"},"modified":"2020-01-25T03:26:08","modified_gmt":"2020-01-25T11:26:08","slug":"hire-the-integrity-not-the-skills-dealers-share-hr-paths-for-finding-the-right-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/state-of-the-industry\/2020\/01\/hire-the-integrity-not-the-skills-dealers-share-hr-paths-for-finding-the-right-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Hire the Integrity, Not the Skills: Dealers Share HR Paths for Finding the Right Fit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and a man who has a cursory knowledge in making money, once observed, \u201cIn looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don\u2019t have the first, the other two will kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several indisputable facts regarding today\u2019s job marketplace. First, it has never been easier to find employees. Due to the wide-reaching ability of social media and job-posting platforms such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc., a company can post an available position Monday morning at 8 a.m., and by 8 p.m., be deluged with a stack of applications. The quality of the candidates, or the likelihood of a potential fit among them, are separate issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, the job market is currently favoring the buyer (i.e., the candidate). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there have been more positions than unemployed people for 20 consecutive months. Further, the number of unemployed persons per job opening stood at .8 in October of 2019. That figure reached a high of 6.4 in July of 2009 before beginning the 10-year tumble coming out of the Great Recession. Thus, the extreme majority of people in the market for a new position are already employed, but seeking greener pastures\u2014which represents great opportunity to find individuals with marketable talent, but also offers a cautionary tale regarding those already on your employment rolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month\u2019s state-of-the-industry report focuses on one of the biggest challenges confronting not only office technology dealers, but the business community as a whole: finding and maintaining quality people. And what we\u2019ve found is that many businesses place a high value on integrity and cultural fit. With many dealers enjoying the current growth swell that has marked the past three to five years\u2014companies that find themselves positioned to add more human capital as opposed to addressing turnover\u2014a willingness to invest in not only finding but developing the ideal individual begins with ensuring his\/her values match those of the company. Skills can be taught; integrity must be inherent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
We have a cadre of dealers who outlined how they sift through the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 rubble. They offer insight into their hiring process to ensure they are maximizing their investment in time in onboarding, not to mention maintaining, only optimal candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Offix of Gainesville, Virginia, finds its primary markets (Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia; Washington, DC) to be hotly contested from a recruitment standpoint, particularly for sales and accounting positions. Matteo Recanatini, director of marketing for Offix (himself a product of headhunter recruitment), notes the dealership relies on several channels to ferret out new talent, including LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter. Offix also offers what Recanatini believes is a \u201cvery healthy\u201d referral incentive for employees who suggest candidates that ultimately join the firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTalent begets talent, and if we give an incentive to our talented employees, we find people like them who are successful,\u201d Recanatini notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dealer\u2019s process begins with the HR department screening candidates on basic criteria. Those chosen are passed to a supervisor who selects those best tailored for a 15-minute phone call; what Recanatini describes as a \u201cskin-deep assessment.\u201d Candidates who survive the cut move forward to a panel interview, which consists of the person that position would report to, along with that person\u2019s supervisor and several other key staffers who are cross-departmentally involved with the position. It is here where Offix also determines the cultural fit, in addition to checking off the job proficiencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We do leadership training and process training, and are always focused on making sure employees feel they\u2019re being challenged and not getting bored.<\/p>Matteo Recanatini, Offix<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Sales hires and other key positions are also tested through third-party tools. These candidates take a timed 30-minute test at any point prior to the panel interview. The varied list of questions helps measure a number of areas. The responses are then generated into a roughly 40-page assessment guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are a lot of conceptual maps that show where your candidate fits within different criteria,\u201d Recanatini explained. \u201cWe use that to ask questions, drill down to areas that may be interesting to us or may be a reason for concern. One of the advantages it affords us is to have a sweet-spot map. Over the years, we have learned which candidates have worked out very well in terms of skill sets, skill gaps and cultural fit. Every supervisor has their sweet-spot map for particular positions, and we use that to overlap the sweet spots with the candidate\u2019s profile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recanatini readily admits it is difficult to find true talent, and notes the company would prefer to have the position remain open rather than \u201cchurn through people because we\u2019re desperate to fill it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once an employee has joined the team, the dealer holds weekly one-on-one reviews\u201430-minute conversations driven by the employee\u2014to gauge how they feel about their experience at Offix and ensure they are not having any issues. This also provides employees the opportunity to freely express any ideas or suggestions. Rewarding and nurturing are key to extended employment tenure, and Recanatini believes employees feel valued as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe do leadership training and process training, and are always focused on making sure employees feel they\u2019re being challenged and not getting bored,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe treat people fairly and consistently, and have very transparent policies and procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hiring process for imageOne is executed with a high degree of rigor and a sense of urgency, which enables the company to find great people. Josh Britton, vice president of operations, notes the Oak Park, Michigan-based dealer relies on a host of sourcing methods simultaneously, including online job sites and industry-specific forums. The dealer also taps its strong network across the country\u2014OEMs, fellow dealers, association peers, partners and customers\u2014as a referral resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll supplement our open-market efforts with trusted relationships we have with recruiting professionals, especially when we\u2019re in a high-growth phase\u2014which we\u2019ve been in a couple of times during the past few years\u2014and need that additional muscle,\u201d Britton noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe that by investing heavily on the front end of the process, we enable both the company and the candidate to make the best decision.<\/p>Josh Britton, imageOne<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The dealer leaves no stone unturned in its quest to find the right candidate, and isn\u2019t afraid to conduct a robust amount of interviews, which can be fairly comprehensive in duration and depth. The interviews are supplemented by a number of different assessment tools that evaluate culture, values and organizational fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe that by investing heavily on the front end of the process, we enable both the company and the candidate to make the best decision,\u201d Britton noted. \u201cNothing has been more impactful to our growth and success than having the right people in the right seats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s rarely, if ever, any element of surprise for our candidates on what it\u2019s going to be like working here. We\u2019re totally transparent. It\u2019s not unusual for us to include a case study, assignment, or day-long shadowing in the overall process with a candidate as part of our transparency efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the keys to help ensure a smooth onboarding for new hires is imageOne University, a four-to-six month onboarding program that helps indoctrinate the new hire into the corporate culture. According to Britton, it covers the rituals, rhythms and foundational tools that transcend the employee\u2019s duties; a playbook that speaks to becoming successful at imageOne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is one of the many culture-driven practices at imageOne that have led to the \u2018winning culture\u2019 awards we receive each year,\u201d Britton added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given that many of the quality candidates who interview are gainfully employed and looking at multiple job options, timing and expediency are critical to the process for Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania. Lauren Christman, human resources generalist, feels that puts the onus on the dealership to provide quality interactions with the candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Fraser taps the more-popular job-posting channels such as LinkedIn and Indeed, employee referrals continue to produce the most-effective results throughout the process. As such, the dealer revamped its referral program in 2017, which led to a spike in employee participation and had a salutary effect on both the quantity and quality of referrals generated. That has been critical to the company addressing its continued growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a manager presents Fraser\u2019s value proposition to a candidate, it is genuine and supported.<\/p>Lauren Christman, Fraser AIS<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Fraser works to ensure that its culture and values system are tangible and can be felt by both candidates and the incumbent employees alike, as opposed to a list of core values hidden on a bulletin board in the breakroom. \u201cWhen a manager presents Fraser\u2019s value proposition to a candidate, it is genuine and supported,\u201d Christman said. \u201cFraser\u2019s culture is our differentiator, proven by our Net Promoter Score and driven by our core competencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dealer backs the talk track with perks such as its Sacks of Cash reward for positive customer or peer feedback. Its activities committee hosts a series of fun events, backed by team-building exercises and an annual awards banquet to supplement its compensation and benefits package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As employment is a two-way street, Fraser also provides opportunities that can help prevent its top producers from being poached, including a generous tuition-reimbursement program and top-flight training for all employees. Other retention tools include its bonus and incentive programs, and a career path that enables team members to grow their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The results speak to Fraser\u2019s efforts. Christman notes that 20 employees have been with the firm for 20-plus years, and three company veterans have logged more than 40 years on the job. \u201cThat\u2019s something many companies cannot relate to,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kevin Fries, Eakes Office Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Finding new employees is a process that begins from the inside out at Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska. Employee referrals are the preferred starting point, but many candidates are found courtesy of the dealer\u2019s relationships within the communities it serves\u2014business associates, friends and family members. Leads from these sources tend to produce the best employee candidates, notes Kevin Fries, human resources manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media is a secondary source for Eakes. The dealer\u2019s marketing head populates the jobs throughout the most-common platforms, but while they generate likes, retweets and shares, Fries notes the company doesn\u2019t have any trackable data on its success in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re doing a lot of engagement-type of surveys and touch points with our employees, to get a feel for if we\u2019re doing the right things for our people.<\/p>Kevin Fries, Eakes Office Solutions<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
With unemployment levels in Nebraska hovering near or below the national average, Eakes felt compelled to elevate its game in retaining its quality hires and incumbents. Fries and the executive team developed an employee value proposition (EVP), aimed at ensuring all employees are on the same page. The dealer has aggressively marketed the EVP to the business community and ensures its employees are \u201cliving and breathing it here internally,\u201d according to Fries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have a long history and tradition in our communities, but as an employer, we\u2019re kind of an unknown commodity,\u201d he noted. \u201cSo we have really ramped up our efforts to market what our employee value proposition is to the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eakes has a firm grasp on the changes that have taken place from a human resources perspective during its 75-year existence. Compensation and benefits are only the start; Fries notes the company has branded its benefits package and has performed extensive research into the qualities and traits necessary to maintain the modern employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the narratives commonly recognized by the business community is the career trajectory of the millennial employee, and the penchant for changing jobs every couple of years. Thus, this enables their careers to remain fresh while avoiding stagnation. That tasks the employer with ensuring its employee pool continues to feel challenged and invigorated with its duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, Fries was made aware of a customer service employee who wanted to expand her skillsets and knowledge base, and take the next step in her career. Eakes valued her performance and was able to move her to another division that had an opening. Thus, promoting from within can play a large role in the dealer\u2019s ability to maintain its valued resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot of engagement-type of surveys and touch points with our employees, to get a feel for if we\u2019re doing the right things for our people,\u201d Fries observed. \u201cWe stay engaged with people as much as we can, find out where their pain points are and try to do what we can to fix those, whether it\u2019s adding more benefits or touch points with them so that they feel like they\u2019re a valuable piece of the puzzle here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many of its contemporaries, Nashville, Tennessee-based Novatech is able to tap into a wealth of personal connections and professional referrals to attract some of the top talent in the industry. The dealer also relies on an active, targeted presence on LinkedIn, which it uses to market the core beliefs and values pertaining to what it means to be a part of the Novatech family, according to Rebecca Graham, human resources manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graham believes one of the dealer\u2019s greatest selling points is its solid reputation within the industry. Promoting that at every turn is critical, and the company is making a considerable marketing push to extol the virtues of its managed office platform. Novatech has invested much time and many resources in perfecting this offering and selling it as a service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We employ the best in the industry, and we want to make sure we are providing our staff the resources to be successful.<\/p>Rebecca Graham, Novatech<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want to make sure we are promoting managed office solutions at every opportunity,\u201d Graham noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Providing employees engagement across the business, offering opportunities for training and development, and actively listening to their needs and ideas are all elements of Novatech\u2019s retention plan. Graham believes it is important that employees feel valued and that they are heard, all the while providing them growth avenues and the tools to be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, it\u2019s all about its team members feeling confident that they have found their career home at Novatech. \u201cWe employ the best in the industry, and we want to make sure we are providing our staff the resources to be successful,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and a man who has a cursory knowledge in making money, once observed, \u201cIn looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don\u2019t have the first, the other two will kill you.\u201d There are several indisputable facts regarding today\u2019s job marketplace. First, it has never been easier to find employees. Due to the wide-reaching ability of social media and job-posting platforms such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc., a company can post an available position Monday morning at 8 a.m., and by 8 p.m., be deluged with a stack of applications. The quality of the candidates, or the likelihood of a potential fit among them, are separate issues. Secondly, the job market is currently favoring the buyer (i.e., the candidate). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there have been more positions than unemployed people for 20 consecutive months. Further, the number of unemployed persons per job opening stood at .8 in October of 2019. That figure reached a high of 6.4 in July of 2009 before beginning the 10-year tumble coming out of the Great Recession. Thus, the extreme majority of people in the market for a new position are already employed, but seeking greener pastures\u2014which represents great opportunity to find individuals with marketable talent, but also offers a cautionary tale regarding those already on your employment rolls. This month\u2019s state-of-the-industry report focuses on one of the biggest challenges confronting not only office technology dealers, but the business community as a whole: finding and maintaining quality people. And what we\u2019ve found is that many businesses place a high value on integrity and cultural fit. With many dealers enjoying the current growth swell that has marked the past three to five years\u2014companies that find themselves positioned to add more human capital as opposed to addressing turnover\u2014a willingness to invest in not only finding but developing the ideal individual begins with ensuring his\/her values match those of the company. Skills can be taught; integrity must be inherent. We have a cadre of dealers who outlined how they sift through the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 rubble. They offer insight into their hiring process to ensure they are maximizing their investment in time in onboarding, not to mention maintaining, only optimal candidates. Offix of Gainesville, Virginia, finds its primary markets (Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia; Washington, DC) to be hotly contested from a recruitment standpoint, particularly for sales and accounting positions. Matteo Recanatini, director of marketing for Offix (himself a product of headhunter recruitment), notes the dealership relies on several channels to ferret out new talent, including LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter. Offix also offers what Recanatini believes is a \u201cvery healthy\u201d referral incentive for employees who suggest candidates that ultimately join the firm. \u201cTalent begets talent, and if we give an incentive to our talented employees, we find people like them who are successful,\u201d Recanatini notes. The dealer\u2019s process begins with the HR department screening candidates on basic criteria. Those chosen are passed to a supervisor who selects those best tailored for a 15-minute phone call; what Recanatini describes as a \u201cskin-deep assessment.\u201d Candidates who survive the cut move forward to a panel interview, which consists of the person that position would report to, along with that person\u2019s supervisor and several other key staffers who are cross-departmentally involved with the position. It is here where Offix also determines the cultural fit, in addition to checking off the job proficiencies. We do leadership training and process training, and are always focused on making sure employees feel they\u2019re being challenged and not getting bored. Matteo Recanatini, Offix Sales hires and other key positions are also tested through third-party tools. These candidates take a timed 30-minute test at any point prior to the panel interview. The varied list of questions helps measure a number of areas. The responses are then generated into a roughly 40-page assessment guide. \u201cThere are a lot of conceptual maps that show where your candidate fits within different criteria,\u201d Recanatini explained. \u201cWe use that to ask questions, drill down to areas that may be interesting to us or may be a reason for concern. One of the advantages it affords us is to have a sweet-spot map. Over the years, we have learned which candidates have worked out very well in terms of skill sets, skill gaps and cultural fit. Every supervisor has their sweet-spot map for particular positions, and we use that to overlap the sweet spots with the candidate\u2019s profile.\u201d Recanatini readily admits it is difficult to find true talent, and notes the company would prefer to have the position remain open rather than \u201cchurn through people because we\u2019re desperate to fill it.\u201d Once an employee has joined the team, the dealer holds weekly one-on-one reviews\u201430-minute conversations driven by the employee\u2014to gauge how they feel about their experience at Offix and ensure they are not having any issues. This also provides employees the opportunity to freely express any ideas or suggestions. Rewarding and nurturing are key to extended employment tenure, and Recanatini believes employees feel valued as a result. \u201cWe do leadership training and process training, and are always focused on making sure employees feel they\u2019re being challenged and not getting bored,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe treat people fairly and consistently, and have very transparent policies and procedures.\u201d The hiring process for imageOne is executed with a high degree of rigor and a sense of urgency, which enables the company to find great people. Josh Britton, vice president of operations, notes the Oak Park, Michigan-based dealer relies on a host of sourcing methods simultaneously, including online job sites and industry-specific forums. The dealer also taps its strong network across the country\u2014OEMs, fellow dealers, association peers, partners and customers\u2014as a referral resource. \u201cWe\u2019ll supplement our open-market efforts with trusted relationships we have with recruiting professionals, especially when we\u2019re in a high-growth phase\u2014which we\u2019ve been in a couple of times during the past few years\u2014and need that additional muscle,\u201d Britton noted. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38062"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38264,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38062\/revisions\/38264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Bureau-Labor-Statistics-Chart.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Matteo-Recanatini.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Josh-Britton.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Lauren-Christman.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Kevin-Fries.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Rebecca-Graham.jpg\")