Best Hire Ever

In Episode 24 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn talks with Blake Babcock about the pros and cons of using a confidential recruiting search prior to making a move on an underperforming team member. Blake and KD discuss optics, when to use and not use confidential search, as well as the challenges with the process and more.

Blake and KD bookend the serious part of the convo with memories of a Disrupt HR event with a lot of drunk people and a conversation about college football and how Ohio State can't keep players and staff members from getting Covid. Good times!

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

2:00 - Blake and KD talk about when they met - at a 2016 Disrupt HR event in Cleveland that had a bunch of alcohol flowing and slightly intoxicated presenters started using the F bomb in awkward ways.

8:15 - KD and Blake start the conversation about how confidential search has a bad rap and while it shouldn't be used a lot, could be used a bit more than it is.

11:25 - When's the right time and the wrong time to use a confidential search? Blake and KD discuss. Blake adds to KD's thoughts, framing up confidential search as a great way to dip your toe in the water and figure out what the market is without fully committing. Candidate background, cost and client sticker shock are discussed!

16:30 - Blake and KD talk about confidential search being used as a counter to managing expectations for team members that think they could be the next leader, but aren't ready. Spoiler: The whole thing is complicated.

23:25 - KD and Blake talk about communications to candidates in a confidential search, when to disclose the client/company and more.

26:40 - What should you expect to pay for confidential search? Turns out if you want quality, you should expect to pay something up front.

29:12 - KD can't help but talk about confidential search by comparing the Auburn coaching search vs the Texas coaching search. #decisiveness vs #victim

36:17 - Ohio State can't get their shit together with COVID. BB and KD laugh about it and break down.

SHOW NOTES AND RESOURCES:

------------Blake Babcock

Blake Babcock on LinkedIn

Staffing Solutions Enterprises

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 23 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn talks with former HR exec and workplace expert Laurie Ruettimann, digging into her past and present views on work, the state of HR and being a professional worker in America. Laurie and KD discuss her new book (out 1/12/21, click to view) called Betting On You, which digs into the power of putting yourself first to find career success and happiness.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

1:30: Stage banter with KD and LR.

3:40: Laurie and KD talk about the roller coaster of 2020 and the need for a workplace/career/relationship reset. We're looking to drop the fear and get reengaged.

5:50: KD outlines Laurie's past as an HR pro and a shitstirrer via the blog PunkRockHR.com, which was incredible. Laurie digs into the reinvention of what she spends her time working on and how the transition happened.

16:40 - Laurie and KD dig into the book. What's up with the title? Where did the idea come from? Why is this important to her?

19:50 - KD asks Laurie to talk deeper about the concept of well-being and self care, which he acknowledges career professionals generally discount.

25:00 - Laurie and KD talk about the problems career professionals have disconnecting from work and all the issues that result from failure to take time for themselves.

33:30 - Laurie talks about the big concepts in the book - take care of you, the ability of slackers to be more productive when working and more. Burnout is discussed as well.

36:25 - Laurie talks about the fact that everyone who's good/great has been fired once, and the lessons learned from that.

40:00 - Laurie talks about the ability to ask being key in any negotiation or scenario at work. KD pitches in with what he's learned related to leverage and using it proactively.

42:00 - Laurie outlines the concept of professional distance at work, which protects you from being disappointed by bad stuff at work.

Order the book here!

In Episode 22 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn talks with California resident (born and bred) news editor and professor John Hollon about the defeat of Proposition 16 in the November 2020 election, which would have allowed the reinstatement of affirmative action style quotas and preferences in public hiring, contracting and education in California. Voters in the Golden state rejected it by a margin of 57% to 43%, even though proponents of the bill outspent the opposition by a margin of 16/1.

John and Kris have a wide ranging conversation about the bill, including John's rundown of the history of such legislation in the state and his reaction as a California resident. The conversation then turns to an examination of California's multicultural makeup and the fact it is a preview of the future version of America - and what we can learn about multicultural attitudes towards Affirmative Action and the impact of those diverse views to corporate DEI programs today and in the future.

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RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------John Hollon

John Hollon on Linkedin

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 21 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn talks with Rob Kelly of OnGig to do a deep dive into OnGig's recent ATS (applicant tracking system) Market Share report. Focused primary on surveying enterprise-level companies, there's a ton of gold in the findings as Kris and Rob talk about the current state of the ATS market and compare and contrast what's happened in ATS-land since 2018. Spoiler alert - a LOT has changed.

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RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------OnGig and Rob Kelly

OnGig

OnGig ATS Market Share Report

Rob Kelly on Linkedin

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 20 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn breaks down the 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey from Jobvite with Kelly Lavin (SVP of Talent at Jobvite) and Tim Sackett. The survey is a leading piece of research on how recruiters are feeling and working annually, and this year's release speaks volumes about how recruiters are feeling in the middle of COVID. Serious stuff as well as recruiters use of IG and TikTok, as well as recruiter turn-offs when viewing candidates on social.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

2:40 - Kelly talks about her love for the HR Capitalist blog, etc. Kris wants to hear more. Tim doesn't.

5:10 - Kelly breaks down the reason for the Recruiter Nation Survey - the reason for it, what is is and why it is important.

6:48 - KD talks about the survey size and the MARGIN OF ERROR - in a shoutout to an election year.

7:30 - The gang talks about the biggest downwards shifts in where recruiters are no longer spending their time and money during COVID (pipelining, time to hire, employer brand, candidate experience and increasing retention rate). Wow. So much honesty in 2020.

13:55 - The gang talks about the upwards shifts in time spent and investment (managing layoffs and diversity hiring). Kelly, KD and Tim wonder why the focus on diversity hiring didn't trend upward more. Lots of honesty in the report from recruiters.

17:45 - Kelly, Tim and Kris talk about what the survey says about video interviewing and where recruiters think candidates struggle with video interviews. 95% of recruiters think they are good at viewing interviewing. Tim thinks most of the recruiters think they are good at it because they've never been on the candidate side in a video interview. Kelly breaks down the issues with eye contact in a video interview.

24:30 - Tim talks about where recruiters are spending their time via the survey - social media and LinkedIn. Tim hates it. He rightfully points to the candidate database and referrals as where the hires are.

25:55 - KD mocks the uptick in use of Instagram and TikTok for recruiter purposes. Kelly learns about how KD gets the best TikTok videos in next to no time spent. Kelly and Tim lead a real conversation about how TikTok might be used in a smart way by TA teams.

28:43 - KD leads a conversation from the survey results about biggest "recruiter turnoffs" when viewing a candidate on social media (skin shots, use of pot and of course - spelling errors. LOL). Stalk much?

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------Kelly Lavin, Jobvite and Tim Sackett

Kelly Lavin on Linkedin

Jobvite

The 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey

Tim Sackett on Linkedin

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 19 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn chats with Corey Burns, Director of Recruiting and Development at General RV Center, about what it's like to recruit for a business that is booming (not struggling) during COVID-19.

Corey and KD discuss Corey's dual title of recruiting and development, how high end and entry level candidate pools have morphed during the aftermath of COVID, hiring manager behavior during COVID searches and more.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

2:00 - KD asks Corey about his dual role in recruiting and learning and development - Corey explains the connection.

4:35 - Corey breaks down the RV business, why it's blowing up during COVID, what that means for recruiting and more.

7:14 - KD asks Corey about the experience of going into a pandemic-flavored recession as an employer with lots of open jobs - what's the candidate pool like and what are the challenges?

10:00 - Corey talks about the fact that jobs under 50K have become harder, while jobs above 50K are easier to fill. KD and Corey talk about the reasons for this reality and the trends in the under 50K candidate pool.

13:00 - KD asks Corey to comment on what he noticed about candidate behavior once they had applied or were sourced - what was important to those candidates? Corey talks about the increase in candidates wanting to know how the company treated employees during COVID, what their plan was, etc.

19:30 - Corey talks about changes to the recruiting process to deal with the smaller available pipeline during COVID, specifically a bigger focus on the referral program.

24:10 - KD asks Corey about Hiring Manager behavior during COVID - why hiring managers might behave like they did in the past recession, expecting an endless supply of candidates due to increasing unemployment rates.

28:30 - KD asks Corey to think about the RV space and make a recommendation on what RV he would put the Dunn family in if he was a sales pro at General RV Center.

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------Corey Burns

Corey Burns on Linkedin

General RV Center

Corey Burns on Fistful of Talent

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 18 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn chats with Joel Cheesman, founder of Poach and Ratedly (as well as a co-host of the aptly-named Chad and Cheese Podcast) about the addition of Diversity Ratings on the Glassdoor platform.

Joel and KD discuss the new rating and what it means for company reputation, the complicated relationship between Indeed and Glassdoor and how smart EB/Marketing/HR/TA pros can use the DEI focus to grow and protect their careers in a recession.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

1:25 - Joel breaks down his work at Poach and Ratedly. Poach follows employee sentiment and tells you when to reach out to great talent at a company that's thinking about jumping. Ratedly aggregates review sites so you can track what's being said about your company without logging into 15 review sites.

4:40 - Joel covers and outlines new Glassdoor ratings in the area of DEI and Diversity. Are you ready for your employees to rate your company on diversity? Sure you are...

8:30 - KD and Joel talk about the number of ratings needed at a company for the diversity rating to appear - a disadvantage for SMBs.

9:30 - KD breaks down big company current DEI ratings on Glassdoor and Joel reacts. It's complicated.

12:05 - Joel breaks down the complicated relationship between Indeed and Glassdoor, which are owned by the same PE firm. The companies had a 28% drop in revenue during the COVID period.

14:50 - Joel and KD talk about who has more leverage in the world of HR and TA - Glassdoor or Indeed.

16:40 - KD asks Joel about the potential to show Glassdoor ratings on the Indeed platform, etc.

19:20 - Joel breaks down the challenge specifically for Employment Brand and marketing pros during the downturn, and how DEI branding presents an opportunity for them to survive in a pandemic flavored recession.

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------Joel Cheesman

Poach.ai

Ratedly

The Chad and Cheese Podcast

Joel Cheesman on LinkedIn

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 17 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn chats with Kenny Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of ThreeSixtyEight, on the power of leaders who run businesses going ALL IN to invest their time, money and resources back into the communities they live in. Kenny shares his story of why he's ALL IN to helping Baton Rouge be everything it can be and why Kenny's business pursuits always intersect with making Baton Rouge as good as it can be.

Along the way, KD and Kenny talk about how leaders at all types of companies can become more involved in the cities they live in and the benefits of doing so.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

2:17 – Kenny and KD start with the normal stuff – where Kenny grew up, went to college and what happened when he got out of college – why did he stay in Baton Rouge?

10:20 – Kenny breaks down the term "Cajun Asian" for KD, and talks about being an underdog as an entrepreneur.

12:20 – Kenny talks about when he knew he was not only going to stay in Baton Rouge, but he was going ALL IN on Baton Rouge?

13:56 – KD and Kenny talk about his triple play going on related to his investment in Baton Rouge – he started a business, invested in a restaurant and even did to a conference series called "Assembly Required" where he brings in speakers to BR to raise the talent level in his city.

18:55 – KD asks Kenny on what he gets by being so focused on Baton Rouge. They discuss what's in it for him, and the synergies he has seen by having so much of his life tied up in his local community.

20:45 – Kenny shares his advice for executives who want to get more involved in their local communities. He recommends a book, "Wealth: Is it Worth It" by the founder of Chik-fil-A.

23:10 - KD asks Kenny whether he has tried other things related to community involvement that didn't work. Kenny shares great stories on projects that didn't work, including one called "Stance!"

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------Kenny Nguyen

Kenny Nguyen on LinkedIn

KennyNguyen.com

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 16 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn chats with Jason Lauritsen on the always hot topic of Faking it at Work vs Being Authentic at Work. Jason and KD discuss what being authentic really means as a candidate and an employee, the risks and rewards of being authentic, and the zombie-like existence of those who choose a life of faking it at work (whether by choice or via tough economic circumstances).

KD and Jason also discuss building teams as a hiring manager on the recruiting trail via authenticity.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 1:43 - Jason and KD talk about his current focus - speaker, writer and consultant in the world of HR and healthy workplaces, and he's currently ramping up online courses for that domain. He's also learning the harmonica, KD actively envisions him breaking the harmonica out is pocket and jamming with a house band. Which. Is. Awesome. 4:00 - Jason and KD set the stage by talking about a post he did this month on being authentic at work vs faking it. Jason reacts to someone who encouraged people to fake it at work, defines his view of being authentic in the workplace and why it's so valuable. 10:35 - Why do people feel compelled to fake it in the recruiting process or the workplace? Jason and KD chop it up. 12:13 - KD and Jason talk about how average level opportunities go down when you're authentic, but the intensity of opportunity across what remains goes exponentially up. 15:27 - Jason and KD carve up definitions of fake it, fake it until you make it, being authentic and more related to the workplace. Turns out being authentic isn't just letting your freak flag fly, it's hard work and intentional, and protects relationships rather than destroying them. 23:40 - Jason and KD talk about being authentic on the recruiting trail, breaking down what it means for candidates and hiring managers. How does it differ from employees already working for a company? Jason/KD discuss. Along the way, Jason and KD discuss the expert definition of being authentic, as well as some of the greatest advantages and risks to anyone in the workplace who focuses on being authentic.

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------

Jason Lauritsen on Linkedin

Jason Lauritsen.com

Jason's article on Authenticity vs Faking It at Work

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram

In Episode 15 of BEST HIRE EVER, Kris Dunn chats with Siadhal Magos, co-founder of Metaview, on using a data-driven approach to make Hiring Manager interviews more effective. Siadhal and KD talk about how voice to text transcription of interviews can enable AI, giving Hiring Managers feedback on their effectiveness and improving an organization's selection process over time.

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SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

2:00 - KD asks Siadhal (based in London) to set up what Metaview does with transcription and analysis, which is the basis for some of the great data observations on hiring manager interviews Siadhal will share.

6:49 - Siadhal and KD talk about his experience at Uber, where he built and led product teams in a period when the company grew from 7,000 to 17,000 people in under two years and learned a lot about where organizations struggle with interviewing.

12:00 - Siadhal breaks down what the data says about where hiring managers struggle the most in interviews related to getting the info they need.

19:33 - KD and Siadhal talk about what is a good goal for interviewer speaking time (vs candidate "air"/speaking time).

25:33 - Siadhal talks about what the data says related to the sweet spot for the right number of questions in an interview.

29:15 - Siadhal breaks down Metaview learnings for follow up question count - what's the floor and the ceiling for follow ups from Hiring Managers?

34:00 - KD and Siadhal discuss where companies struggle most post-interview when it's time to make the hire/don't hire or go/no-go decision?

RESOURCES AND SHOW NOTES:

------------

Siadhal Magos on Linkedin

Metaview

------------Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn on LinkedIn

Kinetix

The HR Capitalist

Fistful of Talent

Boss Leadership Training Series

Kris Dunn on Twitter

Kris Dunn on Instagram