On Height, Wages and Selling Underwear

Posted on May 3, 2013 by John G. Self

Search firms and employers use all manner of talent acquisition systems, candidate screening techniques, behavioral science and even gimmicks with varying degrees of success to pick the right people to run businesses.

At JohnGSelf Associates, we rely on an adaptive variation of Bradford Smart’s Topgrading^©candidate screening interview process, DiSC^© behavior and values assessments, in-depth vetting and extensive use of video summaries of applicant interviews to help our clients identify leaders to run health systems, hospitals and other healthcare provider businesses.

Then there is the tenor of a candidate’s voice, their height, and the size of their waistline, all important variables for consideration if you read and believe the latest research.

Lucy Kellaway

No, really. Apparently there is a hip new strain of academic inquiry called biological economics which sets out to correlate the aforementioned physical traits with monetary reward. “A drop of a mere 22 Hertz in voice frequency implies a company that is $440 million bigger, a pay packet $187,000 higher and an extra 151 days on the job.”

“There have been a huge number of studies done in recent years and last week I slogged my way through a lot of them,” Ms. Kellaway continues. “The more I read, the more disturbed I got at the conclusion they all point to: the tall, the powerful, the gorgeous, and the low-voiced do rather well. The short, fat, feeble and squeaky voiced do a great deal less so.”

The best known studies have been on height, writes Ms. Kellaway, an FT associate editor and Management Columnist. “A 2005 survey revealed that Fortune 500 CEOs were on average 6 feet tall, a whopping 2.5 inches taller than the average American.” Drawing on a USA Today report, Ms. Kellaway wrote that when that paper asked American CEOs if they would rather be two inches taller or have a full head of hair, almost all favored height over hair.

Speaking of hair, a Wharton School of Business study revealed that bald men are perceived by others as being more dominant, Ms. Kellaway wrote.

“Hair on the chin produces not power but trust. Referring to a Journal of Marketing and Communications, Ms. Kellaway wrote that the beard elicited more trust except when selling men’s underwear, then it was best avoided.”

Now I remember why I did not pursue a career in biology, economics or market research.

Post and Pray: A Poor Strategy for Job Search

Posted on August 15, 2012 by John G. Self

It is really hard to be disciplined when there is panic in the air.

Job creation is anemic—yes, there is job growth, but it is not keeping up with the rate of new workers entering the market. There is a foul smell that suggests the U.S. may be heading for a second economic dip as is the case with Europe.

The unemployed, those who have just lost their jobs and those who have been out of work for more than a year, are growing increasingly desperate. Desperation and shaken pride are two key ingredients that spur panic in the job search market. Now is not the time to abandon discipline in the job search process.

Over the past two days, my colleagues and I have been reviewing dozens upon dozens of resumes for a Chief Operating Officer search for a U.S. Hospital. The postings that we have produced for LinkedIn and the American College of Healthcare Executives websites are very specific regarding the criteria necessary to be considered for the job. We could have added, “Candidates who do not meet the criteria need not apply” but it would not have done any good. Increasing numbers of candidates are resorting to a time-honored, but very unproductive job search strategy: Post and pray. Too many candidates are flooding the market with resumes, using shrinking resources and wasting time on jobs they have no hope of landing. More is not better.

It is time to get back to the basics. For executives and managers who want to increase their chances of finding a job, here are some points that I have discussed before but clearly bear repeating:

Executive recruiters only handle about 35 to 40 percent of all the job openings. While it is important to build contacts with search firms, developing a robust network of industry contacts is more important and productive.
Make your network an active, not passive, tool. Having a big network is useless unless the contact information is current and you understand the connection relationships between your network contacts. LinkedIn provides an invaluable tool by showing you how your contacts are related. That is critical. See #3, a key strategy for job seekers.
The best job is usually the job that is not posted or referred to a search firm. It is the one in which recruiting has not started or the search is being handled internally on a colleague referral basis. This means you have to stay in contact with your network while continuing to look for productive new contacts. Jobs come and go in the marketplace on a regular basis. Calling or emailing once every six months is not adequate. On the other hand, you should not overload contacts with calls or emails. You have to have a carefully thought out strategy to ensure top-of-mind awareness without appearing desperate. No plan is a fast-track pathway to no job.
Personal brand management is critical. Employers and recruiters shy away from people who appear panicky, desperate. Finding a job is a full-time job. Set a routine for being in your job search office and stick with it. You have to work your network every day. Building and developing your network is a never ending process. Maintain your professional association memberships. Those should be one of your last expense reductions. If you are going to post information on websites, be sure that you are adding valuable information that supports your personal brand. Stay out of the current political fray. You may be passionate for candidate A or B. Good. But remember that the person you are networking with—the man or woman who might be able to help you find a job—may be just as passionate about the opposing party, candidate or issue.
Appearance is important. In times of stress, people react differently. Appearing fit, healthy and on top of your game is very important. There are literally dozens of stated and hidden reasons why candidates are not hired. It is a hyper-competitive job market. Do not give a potential employer an easy reason to eliminate you.

8 Hints for Working With Recruiters

Posted on July 10, 2012 by John G. Self

If you are contacted by an executive recruiter regarding a job you have an interest in, here are a few helpful hints to help you navigate the process.

The search will never go as fast as you think it should. This is especially true if you are in transition. You can only control what you can control — calling the recruiter back in a timely manner and immediately providing the information the recruiter requests. Take a breath, being upset will not help.
All search firms are not equal. Some have fairly simple processes, others more complex. Also, some recruiters communicate better than others. You can mitigate this by asking in the screening interview for the projected candidate presentation date. Take another breath.
Always have an updated resume ready. It is always a good idea to be responsive to a recruiter’s inquiries. Plus, you never know when a layoff or firing might occur.
Do your homework on the recruiter’s client before the interview process starts. Very few recruiters will tell you what you need to know to completely evaluate the opportunity. Ask questions throughout the process.
Be prepared for each interview. There are a host of standard questions that you will be asked. Practice your answers, especially on sensitive issues regarding a prior termination, demotion, short tenure, etc. There are some good books that contain behavior and values interview questions. One of the best is Topgrading. This is the interview system GE used under Jack Welch to build its leadership team.
Have your updated references ready to go when they are requested. Be sure your referees know about the job and the name of the recruiter or search firm that will be calling. Confirm in advance the referee’s availability. Provide the recruiter with an email address to facilitate scheduling a specific time.
Some recruiters are moving away from the face-to-face interview, relying on Skype, FaceTime and videoconference sessions. Here is the link to a good article intended for physicians, but it applies to executives as well.
Do not embarrass the recruiter by being late, unprepared, inappropriately dressed, argumentative, etc. You may find that you are not interested in the job, but do not put the brakes on. It will reflect badly on your career brand.

To invite John Self to be a speaker at your meeting or function, contact Kathleen Sullivan of The Sullivan Group in Houston. John is an entertaining and informative speaker who talks about leadership, current events, and life’s wonderful ironies in a speech that is laced with humor and satisfying stories regarding the challenges we all face. He consistently receives high ratings for his presentations.