Since we’re in this series of blogposts on hiring, I’ve decided to add some more hiring insights to the series, including this gem from my own daughter.
My daughter, Stacey, is a GenX entrepreneur who partnered with her older sister to create her own marketing and management support business—Adelphes. (You’ll find her on LinkedIn!) Though her focus is primarily on marketing services in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries, her experience in corporate roles gifted her with a definite savvy about the basics of management and leadership.
During one of our conversations about work, she shared one of her hiring rules of thumb—especially applied to hiring younger workers. NOTE: By way of full disclosure—she was one of those once, herself! Of course, time marches on—the younger generation of today is the older generation of tomorrow. And GenX’ers are no exception—many of them are on the cusp of their Fifties (or already there!). And as they have aged, they have taken on some of the qualities we associated with “older” workers:
- plenty of on-the-job experience
- a healthy work ethic
- roles and responsibilities at higher levels
- loyalty to certain ways of working that work for THEM
- skepticism about younger workers and their fitness for success
BTW: If you want to explore generational differences in more detail, I highly recommend the book by Jeff Havens, Us Versus Them—Redefining the Multi-Generational Workplace to Inspire Your Employees to Love Your Company, Drive Innovation, and Embrace Change. He does a fantastic job of simplifying the complex issues of generational differences at work. And he does it with terrific insight and humor!
So…When Stacey found herself in a position to hire younger workers, she quickly coalesced her experienced-based wisdom into the following Rule of Three for Hiring Young’uns successfully…
1. Look for early work experience in their history—the earlier, the better.
It sounds corny, but things like a newspaper route (or even a lemonade stand!) teach kids at an early age about work and money firsthand. And the earlier those experiences are, the more deeply they embed valuable lessons of personal initiative and reward. For example, if your candidate has experience working in the fast-food industry, they have also been exposed to the value of work habits like: (a) reliability; (b) consistency; (c) promptness; (d) honesty; (e) flexibility; and (f) teachability.
2. Look for work experience in a retail organization.
Retail is all about CUSTOMER SERVICE. Any work experience in retail is likely to imprint your young candidate with the perspective that the world does not revolve around THEM! Instead, in a retail environment, they are continually exposed to the mind-altering reality that other people are important, too. They are likely to learn that helping other people get what they want is a sure pathway to organizational (and PERSONAL) success.
3. Look for work experience in a non-profit organization.
When Stacey shared this one with me, I didn’t understand the value at first. But this rule was based on her own work experience! She explained, “When you work in a non-profit, you can never say ‘That’s not my job,’ because everyone in a non-profit wears more than one hat. When you work in a non-profit organization, you are quickly faced with the constant demand for flexibility and learning-on-the-fly.”
KEEP THIS IN MIND: Your young candidate may even have worked in a non-profit as a volunteer. That’s even better! That usually demonstrates a strong personal value of some kind—strong enough to motivate the individual to donate their work as an expression of true service to others.
So…even if your candidate is young (and you are a bit skeptical about them), Stacey’s Rule of Three may be a way to gain better confidence in making your next hiring decision!
If you would like more great tips for better hiring, take a look at this post from March: Great Advice from Top CEO’s – #17 | The Boss Doctor
And if you would like help hiring or training your people to hire better—give us a call! Our high-energy, interactive training sessions can give them the boost they need to be more effective in finding and hiring the right people for you and your organization!
Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,
Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ helping you to BE a better boss and to HAVE a better boss!
