Management Skills

When you are trying to hire someone to work for you, you usually have a clear understanding of what you want done. Some people, as employers, feel that this is all that is necessary. Unfortunately, in the current job market, this is not enough to attract dedicated employees who will be an asset to your business. The values, interests and ambitions of the people you interview are of at least as much importance as your own needs if you are going to form a successful employee/employer relationship.

People seeking work today talk of career growth and development. They look at education as an ongoing lifelong process. They may tell you in an interview that they left their last job because they had learned all they could at it, or that they felt they had stopped making progress, or that they felt they could no longer contribute. People conducting interviews occasionally conclude that these types of reasons are given by people who don’t want to tell you why they are leaving. If however, the answers are sincere and forthright, they may well reflect a person who is competent and capable. They are quite able to do a good job at the level that the employer expects and want to be recognized for their work. They are keen to learn, increase their information base and become part of the decision making process. In addition, they look for feedback on performance, nonperformance and ways to improve what they are doing. A careful interviewer will recognize these skills for what they are and develop plans to work with this candidate.

Another need expressed by job seekers is that they expect communication and feedback. This statement is often interpreted by interviewers as someone who would rather talk than work, or worse yet, responded to with a statement like, "We will tell you what to do and we will be sure to tell you when you have done something wrong." The basic requirement being expressed by the job seeker is that they are looking for a sense of usefulness in their work. It is important to them that they are doing something that is valuable and that what they are doing is needed by the business they are working for and the industry in which they are working. They really want to know that what they do has value to the company. They are quite willing to accept direction when errors are made, but also expect to be remembered when goals are achieved and progress occurs.

Perhaps the most important concern of many job seekers and frequently the least asked about is; what is the leadership and management structure of this business or organization? In smaller businesses this is fairly easy to define and does not change very often. In larger businesses it is also easy to define, but may change personalities occasionally or frequently and this should be explained to people applying for work. The concerns of the job seeker are that they are moving into a position where the leadership is positive. Absolutely no one wants to work for a person in a position of authority who is negative and pessimistic. Jobs have enough challenges, without having to do them under a pall of pessimism and despair. A job seeker is looking to earn a living where they are valued, they can make a difference and they feel significant and respected for what they do.

The second aspect of leadership is that it be clearly described in terms of who is responsible for what. There are tremendous frustrations attached to frequent interruptions, changes in assigned or scheduled talks, or the sudden appearance of people who claim to be in charge but aren’t. A business must be prepared as part of the hiring process to understand and accept the needs of people seeking work. In addition, the business should be fully prepared to recognize specific skills or interests of their employees, and to develop these qualities as they appear for the mutual benefit of the employee, as well as the employer.