Strengths-Based Hiring

Help Wanted in India

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With net sales of $6 billion in 2007 and with enough might and fame to attract knowledge workers, Stryker is a prominent company worldwide. Yet even this highly successful global business faced major hurdles in hiring talented software developers and engineers in India.

Which Job Seekers Use the Web?

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A surprise: Younger employees are less likely than their older counterparts to use online job search tools. Read about this and other findings from recent Gallup research on the many ways job seekers look for new work in the Internet age.

Job Seekers: Personal Connections Still Matter

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:45:00 GMT

Sure, Internet sites like Monster.com are useful when employees are looking for a new job. But job seekers say they continue to rely heavily on people they know to help them find work, according to a recent Gallup study. Here's how to reach those prospective employees.

What Generation Gap?

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Contrary to conventional wisdom, job seekers from different generations -- Baby Boomers and members of Generations X and Y -- often look for the same things from prospective employers, according to recent Gallup research.

Job Applicants Are Customers Too

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

All too often, companies treat prospective employees in ways they would never dream of treating their customers -- much to the dismay of frustrated job applicants. What those companies don't realize is that every time they aggravate a prospective employee, they risk damaging their organization's reputation and brand.

Job Seekers Ask: Who's the Boss?

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The competition for quality employees among leading companies is fierce, regardless of industry or sector. Job seekers aren't looking strictly at salary offers; nor are they putting much stock into added perks such as company fitness center programs or on-site daycare services. According to new Gallup research, what they want most -- along with competitive pay, of course -- is quality management.

Investing in People

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Keith Skeoch, CEO of Standard Life Investments, argues that a company's human resources function is a value driver and creator. In fact, this executive doesn't even see it as HR -- he prefers the term "talent management." Find out why, and learn about his approach, in this interview.

Uncle Sam Wants Fresh Talent

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Baby boomers will soon be retiring in droves. This fact has many social, political, and economic implications, not the least of which is this: The U.S. government is confronting the daunting challenge of replenishing its ranks of employees and senior managers. And it's in a fierce battle for talent with the private sector.

The Four Drivers of Innovation

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Senior executives and management experts argue that innovation is today's most important driver of business success, not to mention global economics. That's why a group of company leaders gathered recently to discuss innovation, leadership, and the new economy of creativity, knowledge, and invention. They also explored how to translate these amorphous concepts into real business dollars. Their insights, distilled to the four drivers of innovation, are relevant to executives from businesses large and small, global and local.

A Caterpillar Dealer Unearths Employee Engagement

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Fabick CAT invested $500,000 in its people, and the payoff was enormous. Here's how the company made employee engagement a part of its culture, largely by becoming less bureaucratic and a lot more open.

This Manager Succeeds -- and Changes Lives

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT

By aspiring to leave a positive legacy, T.G.I. Friday's manager Dennis Greer took a restaurant his company wanted to close and made it the most profitable in his region. Along the way, he changed some people's lives for the better. Greer's successful management makes for a turnaround story of the most inspiring kind.

Stryker Selects Top Talent

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT

For more than two decades, this global company has delivered at least 20% organic growth annually. Stryker executives attribute this achievement largely to recruiting people who have the right innate talents to drive the business forward. Indeed, attracting and retaining a high-performing and self-motivated workforce is central to the company's corporate strategy.

Taller Is Better

Thu, 09 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT

That's just one of the myths that decrease the effectiveness of your sales force. The fact is, top performers are no taller, no thinner, and no more attractive than average reps. And those great salespeople don't necessarily have a better education or more experience either. Beware of the "glare" factor.

Hiring the Best

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Selecting employees with no talent for their jobs wastes recruiting dollars, time, and effort. Worse, employees with mismatched talents turn off customers, disrupt workgroups, and corrupt brands. In this interview, Vandana Allman, who coauthored the humorous business parable Animals, Inc., explains talent and how to find it and hire it, as well as the dollar value of catching the few "perfect fits" in your pool of applicants.

This HCA Hospital's Healthy Turnaround

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

The Medical Center of Plano has always been viable -- but viable isn't acceptable in a town with 29 other world-class hospitals. To increase market share and profitability, this HCA hospital had to find a way to beat its competition. Here's how it met the challenge.

How Marriott Vacation Club International Engages Talent

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT

When Marriott Vacation Club International launched two new initiatives in 2003 aimed at improving employee performance, some in the company doubted whether the investment would pay off. But one year later, the financial results convinced even the skeptics: "I'm finally seeing a people solution that really impacts the business," says a top MVCI executive.

HR for Dummies

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Out with the paper pushers from the old personnel-office days: why organizations should hire and develop strategic human resources executives who think like CEOs.

Rx for the Nursing Shortage

Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT

U.S. hospitals are facing the critical problem of rising nursing vacancy and turnover rates, but many leaders don't understand just how complex the challenge is. Curing the nursing shortage requires a heavy dose of innovative recruiting, talent-based hiring, and great management.

Caterpillar Constructs a Leadership Pipeline

Thu, 10 Jun 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Caterpillar Inc. is undertaking a major new construction project: building an even better organization -- one that excels at finding and developing its next generation of global leaders. And, using proven leadership assessment tools, the Fortune 100 giant has already unearthed top talent.

Flawed Assumptions Can Defeat Your Business

Thu, 08 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT

In today's global economy, the only way to build sustained business success is through emotionally engaging customers and employees. But beware: Failure is guaranteed if you follow these four faulty assumptions.

Hiring and Developing Talent: Key Differences

Thu, 11 Dec 2003 00:00:00 GMT

In very real ways, talent is key to both hiring and developing employees. But beware: While selection and development processes may be similar, they actually require quite distinct tools.

Stryker's Investment in Talent Pays Off

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Positioning employees so they can do what they do best isn't just good for them -- it's good for business. For Stryker Instruments, repositioning just one employee so he could use his talents more effectively saved the surgical equipment maker $1 million in electronic component sourcing.

Fairmont's Talent Strategy Delivers Results

Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Fairmont can quantify how some job applicants will outperform others. For example: "Recommended" applicants for sales management positions produce 36% more revenue annually than their rivals who are "not recommended" for those jobs. Here's how this hotel company delivers service excellence -- and achieves measurable performance results -- by hiring for talent.

Marriott's Gamble Keeps Paying Off

Wed, 12 Feb 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Marriott's move into the timeshare/vacation ownership business took guts, given that market's once-dubious reputation. But its Vacation Ownership division's skyrocketing sales growth this past decade vindicates the decision. Here's how Marriott is succeeding, while strengthening -- not damaging -- its brand.

I am a career counselor. Can knowing a person's Signature Themes help me offer good advice?

Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Yes. However, a person's Signature Themes will never reveal the career he or she should choose. Successful police officers do not share exactly the same themes, nor do successful lawyers, teachers, or salespeople.