The banner reads: “Now Hiring Experienced Window and Door Installers (No Stupid People!)”
The commentary was better than the banner itself for entertainment, with all different points of view. The sign definitely gains attention and a few laughs. Other hiring managers from trade companies wrote that they get frustrated when inexperienced people apply to their openings. I give the door and window company credit for sharing the culture of the company: that of having zero tolerance for employees who lack emotional intelligence by demonstrating they are poor in judgment or unwise. The way it is written could also be taken as the people working in the company are not stupid, and installers who prefer to work with experienced installers will find commonality with the quality of work with their associate installers.
I saw the banner as a creative marketing piece. Wouldn’t you want to hire a company that only hires smart installers? Then again, knowing the hiring manager’s definition of “experienced” still would need vetting. Time served as an installer—or any type of employee—does not mean time well spent or even qualified. Career building is measurable progress in sufficient time.
One of the commentators turned it into his challenge to find a sales position and how employers would reject him with the question regarding what software he was experienced with. He stated he did not understand what that had to do with being a salesperson. It showed me again what a disconnect there can be between job seekers not understanding what a job is beyond the title itself. I often say, “A project manager for one company is not the same as a project manager for another,” or, in this case, a salesperson at one company over another.
The software questions are asked for a myriad of reasons. Number one is that if you are not reporting anything you do, there is no record, accountability, or ability for an employer to manage risk. If you do not have technology skills, it may speak to your irrelevance in today’s workforce or your attitude of only wanting to do the part of the job you enjoy—such as with a salesperson—verbally talking people into a purchase.
In Construction Management, if you are asked the software question, and you answer Buildertrend, and the company used Procore, you may be thinking you grew up with computers and are software savvy. The employer may be thinking that the last person who was hired, despite being in your age range and extremely proficient, took longer than expected to ramp up on their setup of Procore and the policies surrounding the software. It was okay at that time as they had time and resources to work with them. They are concerned now because the business is not currently training-friendly.
For employers, hiring smart boils down to risk management and proper allocation of their resources. Quite often, the timing is just not right. It has nothing to do with the employer rejecting a candidate simply because of the type of software they use.
Hiring into a company as an employee or hiring an employee to join your organization first requires each side to be able to define what that looks like. Defining Core Values is a tool to help you with doing so, yet often, even if a new hire says they buy into your core values and are willing to live by them, only time tells if they really do. Every tool helps in eliminating risk in the hiring process, yet every new hire and every new employer is a risk because it is a new relationship.
New relationships take time to build. New relationships start with talk, then comes the walk. The consistency within those relationships beneficial to both parties ultimately keep those relationships whole and growing in the workplace year after year.
There are three givens in any relationship that make a difference, specifically when building a foundation in the workplace. Are you visually demonstrating to your employer, hiring manager, supervisor, and associates that you are who you said you were in the interviews? Are you demonstrating transparency and verification, or are you justifying what was said to align with your will, not mutual will, expectation, and benefit? It starts with:
- Communication: Do you practice written and verbal communication as you said you do in an interview? Just like your written offer letter backs up the financial agreement for your hire, daily reporting in writing and verbal updates to keep people on your team informed demonstrate your ability to follow up and follow through with your responsibilities out of the gate.
- Time Served: Are you present and accountable during the working hours you agreed to during the interview? Quite often, employees think this does not matter as long as they do their forty hours a week or get the task side of their job done. Not having deviated working hour discussions prior to hire or announcing a preplanned vacation, taking unexpected PTO, etc. during the first few months of your hire sets the tone and pattern for building trust and commitment with your supervisor and team moving forward. In a love relationship, if a couple agrees they are moving in together and will greet each other upon waking in the morning, and then after the ceremony their partner is not present most mornings, the honeymoon is off to a rough start as expectations discussed prior and actions following do not match.
- Quality of Work Performance:
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- If your resume says “computer proficient” or that you are experienced in certain software, yet you need to be trained in the basics, you will demonstrate your ability to exaggerate.
- If you say your English writing skills, including grammar, are first-rate, and yet you do not communicate professionally and clearly in your written correspondence, you will demonstrate your inability to know what is excellent and what is mediocre.
- If you say you are detail-oriented, yet you miss things on the plans, lack detail when doing work, or make common mistakes repeatedly, you demonstrate that you don’t understand the importance of detail and how it affects the business and your success in maintaining your job.
- If you find the employer’s sign inappropriate or fantastic and not funny, then you are fortunate to be either the perfect employee or the perfect employer who has not lived through the frustration of working with intentionally or unintentionally disingenuous people.
In navigating the complexities of the hiring process and fostering strong workplace relationships, it’s crucial to prioritize communication and align expectations. By consistently demonstrating your commitment through effective regular communication, dedication to the expectation of your presence, and quality of work, a foundation will be laid for long-term success. So, whether you’re an employer seeking the right fit for your team or a job seeker aiming to make a positive impression, remember that building trust and understanding is key. At FLCC, we guide you to finding the right match through self-discovery—employee or employer.
Some individuals may exhibit a lack of emotional intelligence, as evidenced by poor judgment or unwise decisions. While I cannot speak for the author of the banner, it seems likely that their use of the term “stupid” was an attempt to convey this concept more succinctly. However, this choice of words may have inadvertently amplified their frustration with the challenges of the hiring process. Have you ever felt in a job search or in the workplace that you might have done things differently?
To the Right Tactics,
Suzanne Breistol
