Golden Oldies: Hiring Newbies
by Miki SaxonIt’s amazing to me, but looking back over more than a decade of writing I find posts that still impress, with information that is as useful now as when it was written.
Golden Oldies are a collection of what I consider some of the best posts during that time.
I wrote this post four years ago; the problem wasn’t new then and its gotten progressively worse since.
People today, not just Millennials and not all Millenials, don’t communicate well. People at all ages and levels, including CEOs are poor commicators — and if you doubt that, take a look at Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s speech at the town hall meeting after the Amazon acquisition. Written communications aren’t much of an improvement, even ignoring grammar and spelling errors, they often have little clarity, flow, or even coherence.
Texting has resulted in still worse writing, especially as people disperse with details like capital letters that can totally change the meaning.
“Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.”
And thanks to the overall focus on STEM education you can expect it to get even worse.
Read other Golden Oldies here.
Do you groan at the thought of having to hire and manage new-to-the-workforce people?
Do you wonder what’s wrong with today’s college graduates?
If so, remember two things.
- The problems are not a product of your imagination.
- You are not alone.
Multiple studies find the same problems I hear first-hand from managers.
“When it comes to the skills most needed by employers, job candidates are lacking most in written and oral communication skills, adaptability and managing multiple priorities, and making decisions and problem solving.” –special report by The Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace
“Problems with collaboration, interpersonal skills, the ability to deal with ambiguity, flexibility and professionalism.” –Mara Swan, the executive vice president of global strategy and talent at Manpower Group
What’s changed?
Helicopter parents, crowdsourced decisions, me/my world focus, and the constant noise that prevents thinking.
The result is that many new hires require remedial actions from already overloaded mangers that go well beyond the professional growth coaching that typifies the best managers.
Flickr image credit: evoo73
