Recently, I was asked to recount my own career progression, beginning with my first position in the field.  My first professional position actually stemmed from an internship I held while pursuing my Bachelors degree.  I hadn’t thought about that experience in a very long time!
 
As I reflect upon that internship now, I realize what a great introduction to the professional world it was for me.  I was fortunate enough to have a terrific supervisor who was more than just a boss but was also a mentor and a role model.  Unfortunately for some students, that’s not always the case.  College career planning offices across the U.S. offer numerous resources to their students on how to get the most out of an internship.  But what about the employers in the relationship?
 
It seems that support and resources to organizations offering internships are often lacking.  Moreover, smaller startup companies are largely overlooked when it comes to internships.  Hopefully, this “do’s and don’ts” list will provide employers some helpful tips and advice to getting the most out of their intern experience.

The Don’ts:

1. Do not hire an intern without a plan in place.  Hiring an intern on a whim and then ‘winging it’ will serve nobody’s agenda.  Your intern will end up wasting time on unproductive tasks, feel underutilized, and probably develop an unfavorable impression of your organization.
2. Do not assign your intern only menial tasks, or expect an intern to be your own personal assistant.  A limited amount of tedious chores is acceptable, but realize that the intern is there to learn and that most college students are very eager and motivated to do so.
3. Do not station your intern in the corner of the office by themselves working strictly on individual tasks.  Learning the dynamics of the workplace and understanding how to interact with others in a team setting is just as (if not more) important as mastering a new task or concept.
4. Do not expect your intern to know the policies and procedures of your work environment.  They should be given some form of orientation similar to any other new hire within your company.
5. Do not assume your intern knows how to perform a task they haven’t been exposed to before.  Sure, they’re bright and can learn quickly, but that doesn’t mean they won’t need any instruction at all.  An internship is a learning experience, and part of your role in the process is to provide the intern with guidance while developing new skills or concepts.

 
The Do’s:

1. Create a professional job description for the intern’s role.  You should try to incorporate SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals as much as possible.  This allows the intern to know what they are working toward and help them to focus their time and tasks accordingly.
2. Introduce your intern to every co-worker, business associate, or customer with whom you interact throughout the day.  Treating your intern as a valued team member will demonstrate appropriate professional respect, and will increase their comfort level in offering their own ideas or even just asking more insightful questions.
3. Include your intern in every planning or strategy meeting related to the work they’re performing.  Although you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to contribute significantly to strategy development, you may be surprised by the input that a fresh and different perspective can bring.  Also, their participation in these meetings will provide a fuller understanding of ‘the big picture’ and the purpose of the specific work they are performing.
4. Perform a formal evaluation of your intern’s performance at the conclusion of the internship.  It’s probable that the referring school will have you complete a survey or summary as part of their standard process.  However, you should also conduct a performance evaluation following your organization’s standard process.  This will give the intern a more thorough realization of their strengths as well as areas which they need to develop, and it will familiarize them with a typical evaluation process that any future employer might conduct.
5. If your organization doesn’t already have one, think about establishing a formal relationship or internship program with a few of the universities in your local area.  Try to target schools that are known for their strengths in different majors so that you can draw interns from various disciplines who can work in several departments of your organization.  And, don’t feel like you have to develop this all on your own; this would be a great project for an intern to assist with!

 
Most people view internships as field-based learning opportunities for students to better prepare them for work after graduation.  That’s certainly true, but internships can present a tremendous value to employers as well. However, like most things in life: you’ll get out of it what you put into it.  Those employers who groom today’s interns into their ranks will reap the rewards by gaining eager, loyal workers who are both motivated and prepared to become tomorrow’s leaders!

“Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...”  I’m sure you probably recognize these words from the classic comedy routine made famous by American comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.  If you don’t know this routine, it’s well worth the watch.  In fact, even if you’ve heard it a dozen times before, it’s still a fun listen (go ahead, watch the clip...you know you want to)!  ;-)
 
In the sketch, Abbott says to Costello: “Strange as it may seem, they give ball players nowadays very peculiar names.”  The same can certainly be said of position titles.  Though not all of them are necessarily peculiar, there are definitely some creative titles being used in the professional world today.

• Sales & Marketing:  Sales Ninja, Chief Evangelist, Director of Storytelling
• Human Resources:  Chief People Officer, Head of Talent & Culture, People Ambassador
• Engineering:  Robot Whisperer, Wizard of DevOps, AI Guru
• Project Management:  Master of Projects, Transformation Artist
• Support:  Service Champion, Customer Coach, Support Warrior

 
Personally, I prefer more functional titles that reflect the true nature of a role.  As a ‘talent acquisition specialist’, however, I understand and appreciate why many companies choose non-traditional titles.  Imaginative titles can be used to convey a company’s culture, attract a specific talent pool, or simply help the company stand out from others in the market.  But, what happens when the novelty of the title fades away?
 
It’s interesting to note that the “Who’s on First?” routine was first performed by Abbott and Costello in 1938.  It’s hard to believe this skit is nearly 80 years old and still has an impact on audiences today.  I wonder if some of today’s more ‘fashionable’ titles could stand the same test of time!

I remember with great fondness, as I was growing up, some of the funny expressions my grandfather, Gus, used to say.  Whenever there was a holiday or some other event to celebrate, Gus would raise his glass and come out with some pretty interesting toasts.  It didn’t matter how often he did it, he would provoke our laughter every single time.  And one of his favorites was: “The first hundred years are the hardest!”
 
Recently, I was thinking about how that expression rings true for the start with a new employer.  Of course, in that instance, “The first hundred days are the hardest” is more appropriate.  This is a fact that more employers need to recognize, anticipate, and pro-actively address.  Let’s face it, it may take 100 days for new employees just to find all the bathrooms and fire exits in some very large corporations. ;-)
 
Unfortunately, not all employers provide new hires with a mentor who can offer guidance during the critical first hundred days on the job.  I’m not talking about the typical 3-5 day orientation that most companies offer.  I’m talking about a real mentoring program with established checkpoints.  Not only do new hires need to find the bathrooms, they also need to learn the company’s policies, processes, personnel, and technology.  Perhaps most importantly, new hires must learn how to navigate the corporate politics.
 
So, the next time you find yourself hiring and wonder how you can improve new employee success (and ultimately, retention), start at the very beginning.  Providing a seasoned mentor to help new hires navigate the terrain can set the stage for success and help them to conquer those first hundred days with confidence!

While my last post focused on my favorite of the three time-tested truths of business success: "Quality Counts", this week addresses the truth which I (and probably most people) struggle with the most:
​
3. Time is money.
Time is a valuable commodity. Time can be spent, wasted, borrowed, budgeted, saved, or invested. Ultimately, time is a limited resource that we must use wisely to accomplish our goals.
We all know it’s true. Yet most of us struggle with this concept on a routine basis. Of course, there are situations when spending more time (perhaps more than is necessary) on a particular activity or event pays rewards, such as attending your child’s school function or sporting event, visiting with a sick neighbor or loved one, or volunteering to assist those in need. But that’s not what I’m talking about here.

I’m talking about the time we spend on activities throughout the course of our business day. We tend to lose sight of the fact that time spent on any activity which cannot lead us to accomplishing our goals, is time wasted. We must learn to budget, save, or invest our time wisely so that we can realize a return on that investment.

Every day we are given exactly 86,400 seconds. We can do whatever we want with the time, but at the end of the day, whatever time we have not made the most of gets taken away from us and we never get it back. So…what are YOU going to do with your 86,400 seconds today?!

This week continues the discussion of three time-tested truths of business success, and focuses on my favorite of these truths:
 
2. Quality counts.
A top quality staff, a quality product or service, and high quality treatment of customers and employees. No organization will ever be faulted for maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.
 
This is my favorite of the three time-tested truths because I’ve always believed that anything worth doing is worth doing right. No person, no company, no product is perfect. There will always be some shortcomings. However, those shortcomings will often be forgiven when there is a high level of quality in some other component of the person, company, or product.
 
A perfect example of this can be found in the Maine-based company L.L.Bean, Inc.  The company’s guiding principle is to keep customers satisfied, even boasting “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed”.
 
A couple of years ago, I purchased a pair of Bean Boots for my daughter for Christmas.  I placed my order in late November with an expected delivery of mid-December.
 
A few days after the expected delivery, I received a small package from the company notifying me of a delay in availability of the boots.  The note of apology came with a beautifully-made keychain (a miniature replica of the Bean Boot).  The delivery date was adjusted to early January.
 
Two weeks later: I received another note of apology (along with a $10 L.L.Bean gift card) for yet another delay in delivery.  This time, the company was unable to project a delivery date.
 
I think it’s safe to say that my experience was not unique and I bet there are a large number of customers who did not receive their intended holiday gifts on time.
 
I’m sure you’d agree that this is the type of snafu that could cost any company a huge loss in customer base.  However, I doubt it had much impact on L.L.Bean.  Customers will continue to shop from L.L.Bean despite it failure to deliver on time.  Why?  Because L.L.Bean offers exceptional quality products and superior customer service.  Sure, they failed to deliver to their customers on time, but they wouldn’t compromise on the quality of their product simply to get it out the door faster.
 
As I said: “No organization will ever be faulted for maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.”

Last month, I wrote about three time-tested truths upon which I believe almost every successful business person has built an operational foundation.  Today, I’ll discuss the first of these truths:
 
1. People, not technology, make an organization successful.
The best companies hire the best people. Even the most innovative piece of technology can not replace what hiring the best people can do for an organization.
 
To say that technology has come a long way over the past half-century is an understatement!  From predictive analytics and cancer detection to wearable and implantable devices, the way technology impacts our health and wellness today was unimaginable 50 years ago.  Yet, none of these advances would ever have been possible were it not for the people in the companies producing these items.
 
Successful companies know that it takes the best people to conceptualize new ideas, develop useful products, incite consumers to purchase, deliver quality results, and provide the best possible service to customers.  No piece of technology—however cool—can replace what hiring top performers can do for an organization!

Wow...Q1 is nearly in the bag!  The end of the first quarter is a common time to evaluate the state of our business…to take stock of what’s important about our work, what makes a difference to others, and what actions truly lead us to success (versus what simply wastes our time!).
 
I believe that almost every successful business person has built an operational foundation on these three time-tested truths:
 
1. People, not technology, make an organization successful.
The best companies hire the best people.  Even the most innovative piece of technology can not replace what hiring the best people can do for an organization.
 
2. Quality counts.
A top quality staff, a quality product or service, and high quality treatment of customers and employees.  No organization will ever be faulted for maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality.
 
3. Time is money.
Time is a valuable commodity.  Time can be spent, wasted, borrowed, budgeted, saved, or invested.  Ultimately, time is a limited resource that we must use wisely to accomplish our goals.
 
Remembering these three time-tested truths can have a profound impact on how we structure our everyday activities.  When we consistently focus on hiring the best people, delivering quality results, and investing our time wisely, we’ll routinely find success well within our reach!

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, you can find “luck of the Irish” almost everywhere you turn…from parades and road races to corned beef & cabbage dinners and special events in the community.  Of course, you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate the patron saint with some good-spirited fun, or to appreciate the value of a little good fortune.

This reminds me of the age-old poem about finding good luck from a random penny lying around:

     Find a penny,
     Pick it up,
     All the day,
     You’ll have good luck.

Now, I don’t really know that finding a penny brings good luck, BUT, I always pick them up when I find one.  We have the same philosophy when it comes to top performers in the Healthcare & Life Sciences industry.  Often times, we meet someone whose experience, motivation, and attitude combine in such a way that we spot them immediately, much like a shiny penny just begging to be picked up.  These “shiny pennies” are the types of professionals who will excel in almost any situation AND have the ability to make those around them shine just as bright.

What I never knew, until a short time ago, is that there's actually more to this poem:

     Give it to a faithful friend,
     Then your luck will NEVER end!

That's even better!  I guess that means now I can share that luck with some deserving clients.  ;-)

We fill our recruiting pockets with shiny pennies throughout our days, weeks, months, and years.  When one of these shiny pennies gives us an opportunity to “pass the luck" (a.k.a. success) to someone else, that’s what we intend to do.  Perhaps your organization could use a shiny penny right now!

For my family, the winter season means Indoor Track season.  An indoor track is 200 meters around—half the distance of a standard outdoor track.  That means a 2-mile race is approximately 16 laps and a 5k race is 25 laps around the track!
 
While I'm watching my kids run around the track that many times, I can't help but start singing (to myself) the 1980's hit song by Ratt entitled "Round and Round”.  Whether or not you enjoy ‘hair metal’ bands, the song has a very catchy tune that can stick with you all day long after listening to it.
 
The thing about running a distance event on a track is, although you keep running 'round and round' the track, you always end up right back where you started.  We always joke about that!
 
The same can be true of your efforts to attract key talent to your organization.  Chances are, you're following the same process as you always have to hire staff, yet you end up right back where you started—a lot of effort expended, and no key player to show for it.
 
That's because when you're trying to attract top performers, you can't rely upon the same old techniques!  Attracting top performers to critical positions requires a slightly different approach...
 
First, your organization should have a continuous process of creating positive buzz about it.  Social media posts are an easy way to do this, and an essential tool in the talent acquisition process today.
 
Second, encourage every employee in your organization to be an ambassador and to network with the top performers in their field.  From the board room to the conference room to the break room, everyone should spread the good word and encourage their most talented connections to apply for open positions within your company.
 
Finally, it’s often essential to engage the services of a professional search consultant to identify top performers in your specific field or industry.  The search fee involved is a wise investment when you consider the returns a key performer can bring to your organization!
 
Of course, you can continue to go round and round and always end up right back where you started.   Or, you can try something new to attract the top performers your company needs to succeed!
 
You may now go about your day with the tune of “Round and Round” stuck in your head.  You’re welcome!   \m/ (^_^) \m/

Valentine's Day goes hand-in-hand with recruitment.  Dating and romance--when done right--can turn strangers into friends, and friends into partners.  Just like dating and romance, talent attraction is a courtship, too!
 
Generally speaking, candidates of different ages will have different priorities when it comes to their decision to accept or decline your employment offer.
 
More seasoned professionals may desire a stable company with a steady income, comprehensive benefits, a decent amount of PTO, and an attractive retirement savings plan.
 
Those of a younger generation may seek a more casual work environment, flexible schedule, free snacks, ping-pong tables, special awards, and really cool projects.
 
And neither set of priorities is any more important than the other, because it’s all about personal preferences and what items may attract the top performers to your organization.
 
No matter the age, however, I believe that nothing can replace the ‘love factor’.  The ‘love factor’ cannot be deposited or consumed or spent or framed.  The ‘love factor’ is intangible, nebulous, and immeasurable.  However, the ‘love factor’ is powerful.
 
When you’re trying to attract a top performer to your team, chances are pretty good that you’re not the only organization attempting to do so.  And if the candidate is really a key contributor, they’ll have several options from which to choose.  So, how will you win that candidate over?  Pay the highest salary?  Offer the greatest benefits?  Promise the brightest future?  Let’s face it, you probably won’t be the top competitor in each of those categories.
 
So, what might tip the scales in your favor?  The ‘love factor’!  You need to express to the candidate, in no uncertain terms, that you recognize their talent and that you would love to have them join your team.  Make sure they really feel the love.  Essentially, you need to court that candidate.  It’s not all about the compensation and benefits your organization has to offer...for money can’t buy me love.
 
But, make no mistake, the ‘love factor’ will be a critical element to your talent attraction success!  Happy Valentine's Day.