Randi shares her experience working as an HR Consultant, with a focus on municipalities. At midlife she launched her own business, after losing a senior position at a City Hall. Her story of believing in herself and staying the course is sure to inspire!
Randi Frank Interview on Midlife Matters with Georgian Lussier
Succession Planning Tip #9: Look for external candidates when there are not internal candidates available or ready.
Sometimes there is not enough time to give the high potential internal candidates to develop the new skills needed before promoting them. It can be better to hire an external candidate rather than pushing an employee into a position they are not ready for. In this case, you should always be looking for candidates that may be interested in your firm. Consider contacting professional associations for recommendations of potential clients. (See tips on recruiting in separate blog entry).
Questions? Contact me today!
Job Descriptions Tip 8
8. Job descriptions should be kept up to date to ensure they reflect any substantive changes in the key duties.
If the job description is not kept up to date, then when it is time to recruit for a new employee, job advertisements will not reflect the organization’s actual requirements. It is important to update the job description while there is an employee—and a supervisor—available to verify the new responsibilities. If there is a vacancy, this is a good time to update or rewrite the current job description so it aligns with any new goals and objectives of the firm.
For example, the employer may have decided that the position is more technologically oriented and they hire a person who already has that skillset. The job description will need to be updated to accommodate this required skill.
Hiring an Intern Tip #6: Should there be a formal agreement with the Intern?
Tip 6 – Should there be a formal agreement with the Intern?
The answer to this question is “yes”. I recommend you set up some type of formal agreement (again the businesses that help your find interns will have samples of these agreements for you to use). The agreements which can be as simple as a letter of understanding will layout each party’s responsibilities such as:
- Location and time/schedule assigned for internship
- A list of responsibilities for the intern
- amount of time worked
- signing in process
- proper dress for office if not a virtual internship
- reports on work accomplished
- A list of responsibilities for the supervisor
- amount of time spent reviewing materials from the intern
- training of intern
- set times for meetings
- A list of specific projects to be completed with time frames if possible
- Description of credit program and forms to be completed by both party’s
- Start and end dates of assignments with the possibility of short extensions
- What the intern wants to learn and what the supervisor is willing to support
- Potential for full time position if that is possible or stating that it is not possible due to size of firm or other reason
- Letter of recommendation will be offered by supervisor if work is done well
- Objective of internship for both party’s
- Other details that relate to your business such as confidentiality agreements if needed
The clearer the expectations are from the on-set, the more beneficial the internship will be for both parties.
Questions? Contact me today!
Seven Tips on Goal Setting
This goal setting method can be used for an individual, a team, an entire department, whole organizations or even the Policy Makers/Board of Directors of an Agency. We have used this method to develop goals for a new manager and then used these goals as the guideline for the organization and the performance evaluation for that same manager.
1. Start with a simple brainstorming session.
Let each participant have 10 minutes to write down what they think their goals should be. You may assist participants by asking them to:
- think about issues that keep recurring
- look at past goals if available
- list the top services of the organization
- list customer complaints
- what do you want to get done this year?
2. Let each member of the brainstorming session share one of their written goals with everyone else.
Write them on a large pad of paper (use paper that you can stick on the wall so you can spread them around the room for everyone to see). Continue this process until everyone has provided their ideas – many will say their ideas are already on the wall so you don’t have to write them again – remember no idea is wrong. However, some people will want to say the same thing with different words – that is also ok.
3. Once you have all the ideas, you can consolidate them since many may be similar.
Edit the ideas so they make sense for your organization. Sometimes this may take some time and you can have one or two people work on it and come back to the group on another date or you can give people a food break while you combine similar goals.
4. Next, have each member of the goal setting session rank their top 7 ideas.
Typically you’ll have about 25 ideas on the list at this stage of the process. Have them rank #1 as the most important, #2 as the next important, etc. A good method for this is to give people index cards so they can write down and prioritize their goals.
5. Have each person share their rankings.
Once everyone has had a chance to provide their top 7 goals you can add them up and see the results. The lowest scored goals win (like golf–lowest score wins). It is very interesting to see how many people find that they share similar goals as their top 7.
6. Use the top ranked goals to develop a game plan.
Once you have the total scores on each goal listed, select the top 7-10 goals with the lowest score and you have a game plan. Of course there will be additional tweaking of the wording and development of the steps and objectives to reach those goals but you are ready to start. Since everyone participated, there is more buy-in to the new goals.
7. Implement a plan to achieve goals.
Once the goals are set, the team, department, agency or organization can put together a plan to achieve these goals. Evaluations of the team, department or agency can be based on this list of goals. We have also used this process for new Executives/CEO with their Board of Directors after they have been working together for about 2-3 months. In this case, the goals are used as part of the performance appraisal for the new Executive/CEO during their annual review.
Tips for New Leaders/New Executives Tip 10: Use Your Knowledge of the Organizational Culture
A promotion that changes your position from colleague to supervisor will change the working dynamic with your colleagues. Here are some tips to help you manage that transition successfully.
Use your knowledge of the organizational culture to set goals and objectives for your department, division or organization.
- Set the tone for your new position and remember to treat everyone the way you want to be treated.
- As an inside employee you have the advantage of knowing what is acceptable and what’s not and you know the direction and culture of the organization allowing you to move forward with goals and objectives more efficiently than could a new member of the organization.
- Network with all the connections you already have to assist with your implementation strategies.
Questions? Contact me today!
Speech Presented at Annual AMPO Conference in Las Vegas
Randi Frank presented a speech on HR Best Practices for the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization (AMPO) at their Annual Conference in Las Vegas on October 22nd. Topics of the discussion included (each item can be found under Randi’s Blog section – you can click on the list below to see all the tips):
- Ten Tips on Recruitment/Executive Searches for Employers
- Tips for Succession Planning
- Ten Tips on Interviewing for Employers
- Tips on New Employee Orientation & Onboarding
The session covered best practices related to: executive searches, issues related to introducing new leadership, staffing transitions, how to handle upcoming retirements, and establishing new hire orientation and goal setting.
The AMPO Annual Conference brings together MPO staff, Policy Board members, federal and state employees, and consultants to share information on a variety of MPO issues.
Click here for more information on AMPO.
HRACC (Human Resources Association of Central CT) – Member Spotlight
I was recently honored to be the Member Spotlight (click to view the article) in the October issue of the Human Resources Association of Central CT. As an active volunteer with the HRACC Mentorship Program I enjoy working with students enrolled in HR degree programs. I love the chance to mentor these students, firmly believing that, “this is my time to give back to the young people.”
Click here for more information about HRACC and their mission.
Interviewing for Employers Tip 9: Allow Candidates to Summarize or Ask Questions
Allow candidates to summarize or ask questions at the end of the interview and let them know about the next step and the timing for decisions.
Questions? Contact me today!
Tip 8: Performance evaluation supports the alignment of organizational and employee goals.
When setting goals, managers and employees should align individual goals to the department goal and the corporate goal to make sure everyone works together purposely toward the same objectives and strategy execution. If employees clearly understand how their roles directly contribute to the success of the business, there is a better chance they will develop a greater sense of loyalty and a higher level of employee engagement.
For example, if a business goal is to double revenues from $1M to $2M in the next five years, and the department goal for this year is recommending three new U.S. markets for a product that would generate $150,000 in sales by the end of the March, then an individual goal could be recommending three new U.S. markets for the product through comprehensive market research and analysis by February 1. This kind of planning and goal setting makes employees feel they are truly a part of the company’s success, and can lead to greater motivation and better performance.
Mentoring Tip 4: The Mentor has to lead by example
When the mentor leads by example, the mentee can be exposed to and learn the methods, procedures, values, and culture of the organization by observing the mentor’s behavior. But bad habits can also be inherited by the mentee, so it is paramount that mentors are aware of their conduct and what it is they are imparting.
The mentor should take the time to bring the mentee to meetings that are above their usual level to understand the bigger picture of the organization. This also inspires the mentee to pursue future opportunities at the higher level. The mentor should also take the time to review these meetings or opportunities with the mentee to share their perspective and ask for the mentee’s thoughts on what they observed.
One of my mentees had the opportunity to watch me conduct job interviews that are usually private. Afterwards, we took the time to discuss each interview and my mentee’s notes on the interviews. It provided the mentee an opportunity she would not normally have, in a safe environment, and it gave me a second perspective on each of the interviews. It also gave the mentee an opportunity to see the interview from the interviewer’s perspective, which will help her at her next job interview.
Stay tuned for Tip #5 coming next week!
Questions? Contact me today!
Succession Planning Tip #10: Monitor the success of the succession plan.
Make sure the plan is doing what it was designed to do. This is one of the most important things to be mindful of for succession planning. Because you put so much detail and attention into the planning process, it is easy to feel like all of the work has already been done. The planning process alone is not the end. You must actually put the plan into action and monitor the employee development process.
What are the amounts of leadership positions being filled by internal candidates? What are the percentages? Do the ends justify the means? If that is not happening, find out where the plan is going wrong and adjust accordingly. Note where you originally started off, check the current status, and measure the outcomes. With this final tip in place, your succession planning will become a rewarding process with ongoing results that work for your company/agency.
Questions? Contact me today!
Job Descriptions Tip 9
9. Job descriptions should be clear and precise, both in language and description.
Acronyms and abbreviations should be defined. Write job descriptions so someone outside of the company can understand them.
Poor example: “Knowledge of the budget process.”
Good example: “Experience with monitoring and reconciling monthly ledger activity.”
Here’s a glossary of terms that can help make a job description concise:
http://hrweb.mit check out this site.edu/compensation/job-descriptions/glossary-terms
Randi Frank to Present at IPMA-HR CT Chapter Event on March 20th
Insider Tips: Job Searching and Recruiting
Presented by Randi Frank of Randi Frank Consulting LLC
Need to move your career to the next level? Need to find a great employee? Come learn about the recruitment process from an Executive Search Recruiter. Get tips on resume writing, interviewing and the recruitment process. Randi has read thousands of resumes throughout her career and is an excellent resource to answer your questions about recruiting from the employer’s perspective.
Friday, March 20, 2015
The Baltic Restaurant
237 New Britain Road
Berlin, CT
Check-In (Registration) at 12:00 noon
Buffet Luncheon at 12:30pm
$25 IPMA-CT Chapter Members
$30 for Non-Members
For complete registration information please click here. Registration deadline is Friday, March 13th.
