"No" Doesn't Always Sound The Same Way

We've all been rejected. Whether it be in high school on the person we had a crush on, when we were applying to college, when we've interviewed for jobs, or even when some of us have been let go from that a job that we've all been told, at one point or another: "no". But there's many different ways to say no and doing it in the right way in both the hiring and firing process, a company can help candidates and former employees as well as helping their own self-image. Let's take a look at the three types of candidates and how is a bad and a good way to say N-O.

External Job Candidate

These are the easiest people to say no to out of the three groups we'll talk about, but there are still proper ways to go about this. I know one former classmate who was told they had a prestigious position at an investment bank coming out of business school only to have that invitation revoked once the company hit some skids. How did this person find out they weren't going to be employed at this large bank? The news. Seriously. Instead of calling/e-mailing/writing the candidates to let them know their signed offers were not going to be honored, they instead let the news organizations reporting the story know and the classmate found out by reading about the company online. That's rough--and wrong.

The best way to go about it was done a few years back for me. I applied for a job that was I pretty sure I was under-qualified for--but I really liked the company, job, pay, and thought it would be worth it to apply. After speaking with the Human Resources representative for a few minutes on the phone the day I applied, she told me they were sifting through applications and she would get back to me. She did get back to me--later that evening and told me that they were not going any further with my application. Instead of just not calling me back (which is happened to many people I know plenty of times recently), she called me on her drive home to discuss why they were going elsewhere. She talked me through the strong points in my resume and where they felt I may not fit for the job. She also told me they would keep my resume on file and I shouldn't hesitate to reapply in the future. I was shocked by this phone call and certainly appreciated it. "No" didn't sound like "no" that time.

Internal Job Candidate

Moving Up and Moving Out

A few links for your humpday:

The New York Times provides a toolkit for women seeking a raise and an opportunity to move up within their company.

The New York Times also provides a toolkit for making yourself indispensable regardless of your gender in this Career Couch Q&A

The Associated Press via Yahoo! News says that more employees are jumping ship as a sign the economy is improving (H/T Wendy)

And, lastly, from EW, who says you can't be promoted in The Office?

Filling The Gap, Job Descriptions, Obama's Healthcare Plan, etc.

We're reading all the articles so you don't have to...

-BizTimes talks about Human Resources filling the gap with interim executives

-Vault has job descriptions. They're not as good as the ones we do at Astron Solutions.

-WebProNews says that Yahoo! is putting a new spin on the recruiting process by launching pay-per-candidate for their Yahoo! HotJobs

-Workforce Management talks about how an economic crisis is creating an opportunity for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). "As companies slash payrolls and tighten their belts in other ways that squeeze employees, the association is trying to make itself indispensable to HR professionals."

-Lastly, the Chicago Sun-Times talks about President Barack Obama being pressed on healthcare during his ABC special by an Human Resources executive:

One questioner -- Marisa Milton, vice president of health care policy for the HR Policy Association, a public policy advocate for human resource executives -- said that "other industrialized nations provide coverage for all their residents" with "high quality care" without spending more money.

"A lot of those countries employ a different system than we do," the president said. "Almost all of them have what would be considered a single-payer system in which the government operates what is essentially a Medicare for all."

The president said he didn't think it wise to attempt to "completely change our system root and branch" since health care is one-sixth of the U.S. economy. It "would be hugely disruptive," he said, arguing that citizens would be forced to change their doctors and insurance plans "in a way I'm not prepared to go."

End-of-life issues were raised as well; right now it is estimated that nearly 30 percent of Medicare's annual $327 billion budget is spent on patients in their final year of life.

Jane Sturm told the story of her nearly 100-year-old mother, who was originally denied a pacemaker because of her age. She eventually got one, but only after seeking out another doctor.

"Outside the medical criteria," Sturm asked, "is there a consideration that can be given for a certain spirit & and quality of life?"

"I don't think that we can make judgments based on peoples' spirit," Obama said. "That would be a pretty subjective decision to be making. I think we have to have rules that say that we are going to provide good, quality care for all people.

"We're not going to solve every single one of these very difficult decisions at end of life," he said. "Ultimately that's going to be between physicians and patients."

What I'm Hearing...Time for You

It's Friday. We've made it through another week of nightmare stories from Wall Street, big business, and the other gloom and doom that permeates the news.

I'm keeping things light today - that's what weekends are for, right?! Be sure to take some time for yourself over the next few days, whether that's spending time with your family and friends, sleeping, or maybe even playing hookie from work for a day. We're all dealing with enormous amounts of stress. It's important to treat ourselves to something fun every now and then so that we stay strong and effective during the months to come.

And don't forget to change your clocks this weekend - Spring forward!

What I'm Hearing...The Economy as Opportunity

This morning I caught up with a former student of mine. She is in the process of applying to graduate schools in order to obtain her Master of Public Administration (MPA). She is currently working and not involved in the recent waves of layoffs that have happened at so many organizations.

As we were talking, I asked her what she thought about the economy in general and also from an HR perspective. She sees the present as a fantastic time to invest in herself and develop her skills. That way, when things turn around - and they will - she will be in a much stronger position than her competition. As she told me this, her enthusiasm and excitement for the potential inherent the future was infectious.

With all the gloom and doom around, it's easy to get weighed down. We hear about the horror stories from Lehman Brothers, AIG, and Fannie Mae. But do we hear of the success stories of Lego and McDonald's? Doubtful. Fear sells. In the midst of these trying times, we need to break free of the negativity and take advantage of the opportunities around us to learn, grow, and reinvent ourselves. While formal degree programs can fill that need, so can continuing education classes, or even exploring our passions and hobbies more completely.

Many people consider investing in the stock market or their 401(k)s a "given." When was the last time you invested in yourself? The only investment you can have 100% faith in to increase in and maintain its value is you.

Girl Scout Cookies and Other HR Links

-Workforce Management starts us off this week with an article about why Girl Scout Cookie sales are down: the economy and the Employee Free Choice Act

-The HR Capitali$t asks why we're still using job boards when there's other social networking sites out there?

-Also from the HR Capitalist, an article on personal branding

-From the Workforce Management's Compensation Force blog, an article that says that adversity demands a kick-start with small goals and recognition

-Lastly, George's Employment Blawg, has tips to not get your resume blocked by spam filters. HR professionals should also look at this for tips on how to manipulate spam filters so that e-mails with resumes don't get blocked.

Making Staff Decisions in a Recession from the Wall Street Journal

Job losses and pay cuts are mounting as the U.S. economy struggles. Ravin Jesuthasan of Towers Perrin says that health care and energy look like the safest industries in these tough times.

Oxford's Business History Program

Oxford Offers a Business History Lesson from the Wall Street Journal.

Oxford University's Chris McKenna says during times of economic crisis, look to the past for a broader perspective. He speaks with WSJ's Alina Dizik about a new history course at the university.

What I'm Hearing...Holiday Parties

We've all heard the reports from the news regarding the number of organizations that have slashed their holiday parties due to the economic downturn. While you may or may not agree with that approach - I don't, assuming the organization has funds to cover the cost of the party - one aspect that hasn't been covered as much is the decision to attend the party.

Now more than ever, it's critical that employees attend their organizations' holiday parties. What better way to demonstrate your interest in and support for your co-workers and your organization? Those who attend parties will be seen as the employees who care and are team players, and may have the upper hand if layoffs arise down the road.

While at the event, mix and mingle with attendees outside your typical work group. Expand your network. Get into as many pictures as possible to be remembered as the outgoing, caring person who is thankful for their job. Who knew that partying professionally could contribute to job security?!

What I'm Hearing...Performance Reviews as Job Security

First, my apologies for being off line for a while. The fourth quarter shuffle is in full swing here at Astron!

I read an interesting article on jobsinthemoney.com regarding performance reviews. Specifically, making them work for you. You can read the full article here: http://www.jobsinthemoney.com/news.php?articleID=713 The main gist of the story is that employees should consider performance reviews not as events to be dreaded, but rather ways to demonstrate additional value and initiative to employers by actively seeking ways to improve themselves.

With all the gloom and doom on the news, each day more people are thankful to have a job. Undoubtedly, though, these same people are worried that they might have to face the reality of a layoff in the coming months. One of the best ways to avoid being in that painful situation is to demonstrate with concrete deliverables and actions how you as an employee showed initiative and rendered yourself invaluable to your employer.

When I was working in industry, I always kept a folder with copies of any e-mails I received saying that I did a great job, demonstrated positive ROI, etc. So if there was ever talk of a layoff or a less than stellar performance review, I was ready to defend my case. Thankfully, I never needed to dip into that folder. This technique, however, is one you might consider doing to help ensure your job security in this rocky economic climate.

What I’m Hearing…Benefits from the Economic Downturn

Listen to the news today, and you’ll undoubtedly become very nervous and / or depressed after just a few minutes. Based on the reports, it sounds like we’re headed for another Great Depression at any minute.

Taking a positive spin on things, The Omnia Group recently conducted a survey asking “What has been the best "hidden" benefit to the recent economic turndown to your business?” The results?

•Refocusing business priorities - 37%
•Reinforcing existing client relationships - 24.7%
•Finding and cutting unnecessary costs - 19.8%
•Overdue company reorganization - 8.6%
•Refinement/adding additional products and services - 6.2%
•Other - 3.7%

What can your organization do to take advantage of our current economy to come out even stronger? How about in your own department? We don’t have to take the poor economic reports as gospel. We can use them to our advantage, to excel and be ahead of our competition when times change for the better.