Marta Goertzen

Summer Solstice Exploration

June 20, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Many bloggers are writing about the summer solstice happening this weekend. I particularly like a blog by John Robson in which he called it “a time of expansion and creativity”. That is what I was going to say!!

Summer solstice is the one day of the year when the daytime is the longest and the nighttime is shortest. I guess you could look at the glass half empty if we celebrate the beginning of longer nights or the glass half full by celebrating the longest day of the year. I choose to consider the glass half full of course.

This is the time for rebirth. Another one of those days when we consider our path, make changes and grow. Energy abounds!

This day in late June is the first day of summer. It is already hot and humid here in northeast Ohio. Summer is here but we really celebrate on Saturday June 21. There are parties, concerts and celebrations everywhere.

I will celebrate at the 2014 ICF Global Midwest conference of coaches in Cleveland for my professional development. I will enjoy the sunshine while I consider how to use this wonderful energy to learn and grow. I want to be a better coach so I can help my clients get what they want. I want to open my heart and soul to focus this energy.

What are you doing this summer solstice to learn and grow? How are you focusing your energy and opening yourself to life’s possibilities?

Do not miss this once a year opportunity to refocus on your goals and open yourself to a new or long simmering passion that engages your soul!

Emphasis on “Talent Acquisition” not the same as Results

June 17, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

This year I have spoken to over 20 groups on the topic of talent acquisition with a presentation I call “Stop Wandering: Recruit with a Map and Plan”. This topic hits close to home for me as a human resources executive and consultant to individuals seeking new opportunities.

At gatherings of HR people, I hear the same stories about how important it is to find the right talent or develop existing talent so the right people are in the right place at the right time to accomplish business goals. Yet the quantitative and qualitative evidence indicates we are either deluded or wrong about how well this effort is going.

In my talk I point to evidence that all is not what it seems. Consider this statistic for a moment from the 2012 Bersin by Deloitte Talent Acquisition Factbook. Time to fill (a very common measurement of recruiting success) has reduced from 60 days in 2011 to 55 days in 2013 indicating companies are filling jobs faster than ever. In the same time period first year turnover (people who resign or are terminated in the first year) has gone up from 12.6% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2013. First year turnover is a complete waste. It means the wrong person was hired. All that time and money spent recruiting and training all down the tube.

That is some of the quantitative evidence. On the non-statistic side, candidates bitterly complain about how impersonal and cold it is to find a job. No one answers the phone or responds to inquiries. It takes ages to fill jobs. Any candidate will tell you that it takes longer than 55 days; candidates wonder where that statistic comes from. Candidates refer to the process of contacting some companies as the “black hole”. In fact they call the HR Department the “black hole” sometimes.

We have a talent problem not recognized or acknowledged in HR journals. HR people think they do a good job recruiting and retaining talent. I wonder.

I attended a Cleveland SHRM Staffing Management Association meeting recently that demonstrated this situation very well. It was a panel discussion exploring talent acquisition. Since the crowd was large, the external recruiters went into one room and the internal HR people who handle recruiting directly for companies stayed in another room. I went with the external recruiters since I was unaffiliated.

The external recruiters had a lively conversation about where to find candidates, how to court and tend candidates to have them ready for an opportunity in the future. The external recruiters used LinkedIn and networking to find people who might be interesting to a client in the future.

We rejoined the internal recruiters to debrief. The external recruiters shared the lively discussion about finding talent. The moderator for the internal recruiters was very quiet for a while. Then he said, “Boy, we didn’t talk about any of that”. The internal recruiters talked about on-boarding, dealing with recalcitrant hiring managers, paperwork, and the general process. They did not talk at all about finding candidates, courting talent, or building relationships with people that could be useful in the future. They did not even talk about LinkedIn. Not at all.

As the Captain said in Cool Hand Luke, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Business people, including HR people, talk extensively about the need to acquire the right talent but they are not building relationships required to actually do it. Maybe the largest companies are doing it but not the companies I work with or the people attending the meetings where I speak. Maybe they don’t know how.

Until companies begin realistically addressing talent by acting like they really value people, we will continue to have this failure to communicate.

What is your view?

How to be a Father’s Day Role Model

June 13, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Father’s Day is more than a day to buy a card and a cheesy gift. Father’s Day to me is a day to remember my favorite role model.

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” – Albert Schweitzer

Roger Dreuth 2nd from left

My dad, Roger Dreuth, was a neat guy. His mustache and goatee reinforced his professorial look. He was a musician, a teacher, almost a PhD, an artist, a great debater, and a tinker. He had a million hobbies. His wood sculpture is on display in a museum. Music filled our home. The basement was always a mess with half-done projects in various stages of disrepair.

To my mind he invented the idea of a bucket list because he and my mom always had one constantly being revised as they checked off major accomplishments.

Dad wanted to hold his daughters close forever but bravely sent us out into the world to face challenges, heartbreak, and accomplishments even as his heart broke for our difficulties. But this is what parents do. They do their best to infuse the proper values and habits then they let us spread our wings and take on the world.

He kept his mouth shut as I made mistakes then held me close when the disappointments hit home. He never once said, “I told you so” even when I richly deserved it. He was always there with a comforting word.

When I grow up I want to be someone’s role model. I want to behave in a way that someone wants to emulate. I want to keep my mouth shut and let others make mistakes so they learn by doing, not because I keep butting in with my opinion. I want letting go to make someone strong and confident.

I want to do this with my own children, with my clients, and with my protégés. I want to be a role model like my role model.

This Father’s Day, say thank you to your role model. Maybe it is your father. Maybe it is someone who is like a father to you. Then think about what it takes to be a role model to someone important in your life. Be quiet. Be present. Most of all, let your actions speak louder than your words.

Thanks Dad. I miss you every day.

Katherine

Does Your Resume Support Your Brand?

June 11, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

Everyone has a brand, whether they know it or not. You will be more successful in your career and your job search if you manage your brand to leverage it to display you at your best advantage. It is easiest to start with your resume.

Creating a resume is a process. As you identify the accomplishments related to your goals you will discover who you are and how you want to present yourself. Listen to Dan Toussant describe how to use your resume to support your brand:

Identify the key words that tie your background and experience to the job you seek so recruiters can find you too.

Link those key words to other aspects of your job search campaign. Your business cards and all social media imprints should include the same key concepts that make you unique.

Start with your resume but extend your brand to all aspects of your job search.

Words and Music

June 6, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

“Music is what feelings sound like” – Georgia Cates, Beauty from Pain

“I shut my eyes in order to see.” – Paul Gauguin

Something happens when I close my eyes to listen to music. Sometimes the world falls away and I hear the essential core of what the musician is trying to say. I understand most people feel this way. You don’t have to be a musician to appreciate wonderful music.

What is going on that makes this strong impression outside of your basic senses? We are “seeing” differently. We are seeing meaning instead of the words or musical notes.

Let’s think about being outside at night. It is dark. If you close your eyes you can hear the insects. Maybe you can hear small animals wandering through your yard. You can hear the dog barking a few blocks away. Perhaps there is a siren a few miles away or a train whistle in the distance. If you have your eyes wide open and concentrate directly you might actually miss some of the detail. Closing your eyes opens other senses to what is really going on.

There is a real scientific principle at work here. The McGurk Effect shows that we automatically and subconsciously integrate visual information into our own perceptions.

A job interview is a choreographic exchange between two people, almost like music. Two people are talking and listening.

If you close your eyes (figuratively) or look away while talking to someone else you can almost understand what the person is really trying to say.

Do the words match the music you are hearing from your other senses? What is going on behind the scenes with the person you are talking to? Are the responses genuine or do you sense a strain or incredulity about the words you are hearing?

Try it next time during an interview. At some point look away for a few seconds. Does what you are hearing (the words) match the sense of what the speaker is trying to say? Do the words and music tell you the same thing?

If not, then ask questions to understand what the speaker is actually saying.

For hiring managers, this is a way to get insight into whether the person you are talking to is speaking genuinely. This is not a lie detector test but a way to understand whether you are hearing the real story or if you need to probe more.

For candidates, this is a way to determine if the person you are talking to is accurately describing the work situation or if you need to probe a little more.

Marta Goertzen

Many bloggers are writing about the summer solstice happening this weekend. I particularly like a blog by John Robson in which he called it “a time of expansion and creativity”. That is what I was going to say!!

Do not miss this once a year opportunity to refocus on your goals and open yourself to a new or long simmering passion that engages your soul!

This year I have spoken to over 20 groups on the topic of talent acquisition with a presentation I call “Stop Wandering: Recruit with a Map and Plan”. This topic hits close to home for me as a human resources executive and consultant to individuals seeking new opportunities.

What is your view?

Father’s Day is more than a day to buy a card and a cheesy gift. Father’s Day to me is a day to remember my favorite role model.

Everyone has a brand, whether they know it or not. You will be more successful in your career and your job search if you manage your brand to leverage it to display you at your best advantage. It is easiest to start with your resume.

Start with your resume but extend your brand to all aspects of your job search.

Let me know whether the music matches the words next time you interview!!