Pliers and personnel

The last time Potts & Company hired a person, we were down to two candidates. After sifting through the resumes and checking references, the last step was the personal interview. Both candidates were in their twenties and both were equally qualified.

The final decision was made based on this: We DIDN’T hire the candidate that came to the interview and asked if we had any pliers. She wanted to remove the stud she wore below her bottom lip. It wasn't that anybody cared that she wore body jewelry. It would be more akin to arriving for your interview with your shirt tail out and your shirt unbuttoned.

People are a company’s most important asset. I expect every business owner and CEO would agree that high quality employees are a company’s most important and valuable asset. However, hiring the wrong person causes problems. So most business owners consider the hiring process a vital process and take care and consideration finding the next employee.

I’m not sure most job seekers ever take time to consider what goes on in a business owner’s mind during the hiring process. I used to believe this was common knowledge; no longer. So let me elaborate about what at least one business owner wants in an employee.

I don’t want an “employee.” I want a great employee. I want that employee that will help our firm keep our promises to our clients. When it comes to commerce, everything revolves around the client and customer.
A great employee isn’t one that is self-centered. A great employee must be able to work as a team member. A team player must, at times, be able to suppress their own wants, not always getting their own way. Individualism doesn’t rule out team play, but a person must know when to yield for the benefit of the team.

Here is a personal pet peeve. I can’t stand when a person is asked if he or she can accomplish an assignment and they reply “I’ll do my best.” Doing your best is expected. If you don’t consistently do you best, it will reflect in you paycheck or you will be looking for another job. Customers don’t care about you “doing your best.” They only care if you deliver the promised result.

If you are into drama, life’s drama, and you bring it to work … good bye.

There is nothing lower than blaming others for your failures. (Think Congress). You may get away with this for a short time, but eventually your failures will be revealed. I want to work with a person that is accountable, willing to take responsibility for their mistakes, then be willing to discover the root cause of the mistake and fix the problem for good.

Here is a short list of attributes almost every boss would like to have in an employee.
• Promptness; Show up to work on time
• A team player
• Results oriented; an ability to deliver the goods
• Teachable
• Personal integrity
• A lack of personal drama
• Personal appearance that doesn’t scare the customer/client.

Let’s take a moment to talk about appearance.

When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, the fashionable look for young adults included long hair, long beards, tie-dye shirts, and Levi jeans with holes and frayed pant legs. Today it is ink and body jewelry.

Just as there was nothing immoral with long hair and holey Levi jeans 30 years ago, there is nothing immoral about tattoos and body jewelry. How you dress and adorn yourself does not affect your intelligence, your morals, your integrity, or your ability to do a job. However, it does affect the way other people perceive and think about you. That might not be right, but it is life. In my world it is imperative that a person representing my firm not only is respectable, approachable, and trustworthy, but LOOKS the part too.

(Details matter. If you are going to get a tattoo, find a high quality artist to tattoo you where it can be covered by clothing is a situation presents itself. Make sure it doesn’t look like you were tattooed in prison. Body jewelry can be removed and hair and beards can be cut. You’re making a commitment with a tattoo.)

Potts & Company is hiring for a bookkeeper position. What should these applicants expect? The same things they might expect from any employer. Here is what I would tell point blank.

I am biased. I would like to believe I could be unbiased, but nobody in the human race is unbiased. Those who claim they are unbiased are liars or advanced in the art of self-deception. The question is what my bias is. I imagine I am no different than other business owners.

The first thing I notice is your appearance.  A big concern for me is how will clients perceive and react to you when they have to work with you. Will they like you? Will they perceive you as competent and trustworthy? Dressing so you can flaunt your tattoos might work against you.

Let me throw out some concepts that might help you decide how to dress for a job interview, at least in a professional environment: clean and pressed (ironed) clothes, business casual, confident posture, smiling face, covered tattoos, no body jewelry except for traditional earrings, trimmed beards and nose hair, and excellent dental hygiene. Looking good doesn’t require expensive clothing. It does require some effort.

Next we will move on to your resume. Mistakes in spelling, gaps in work history, and obvious exaggeration are big negatives. I know that it is common for applicants to lie on their resume and exaggerate their level of skill. Integrity is one of the most important attributes that I look for.

We check references. I don’t want your family or preacher to be given as references. Besides, good preachers are bad liars. Do you really know what they will say about you?

The same attributes a business owner, CEO, or supervisor look for in a new employee are the same attributes that will determine success in any endeavor.

In the end, it’s about an individual’s attitude. You can be a great employee and team member anywhere, if you want too.