I recently came across a very interesting article in the Harvard Business Review. In this article, the author reveals that when companies hire lower-wage workers, the productivity of both its current employees who are paid higher wages and the new workers who are paid lower wages, are negatively impacted. This leads to an overall decrease in [...]
A recent doctoral study of 3200 candidates by Christian Enger Gimsø at BI Norwegian Business School found that those with narcissistic personality traits tend to ace interviews and get selected for management and leadership positions. The study found that when organizations set out to recruit new leaders, they typically look for candidates who are dynamic, [...]
Yes, Purple Cow. This was a concept popularized by Seth Godin in his bestselling book Purple Cow. The basic concept of the Purple Cow is to stand out and be insanely different from your competitors. According to Godin, the world is full of mediocrity and if you want to be successful in business or in your [...]
Do you know the true cost of a bad hire? Unfortunately, most of us don’t. If you did a search on Google, you will find all kinds of estimates and suggestions regarding the negative financial impact of bad hires. Some have even suggested that the cost of a bad hire can be up to twenty times [...]
(Click on image to enlarge) Ironically, these statistics don’t lie! (No pun intended) In fact the statistics above underscores the critical importance of effective interviewing. Let’s face it. Many job seekers will not stop at anything – including lying through their teeth during interviews – just to get that job you are offering. With 57% of [...]
Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is consistently ranked as one of the world’s wealthiest, successful and most influential persons. One of Buffett’s famous quotes is “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing". Buffett should know it better than anyone else. He has seen his wealth skyrocket from practically nothing back in the 1950’s [...]
Some have asked me why personality is important when hiring. Some have even questioned if personality is an important consideration when hiring. I always answer with this question: “What type of persons do you like to work with?" And the answers I usually get include some or all of the following: “Someone who is helpful" “People [...]
Last week was a sombre week for Singapore. The entire nation literally came to a stand-still as the nation mourned the passing of our Founding Father of Modern Singapore, the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Having transformed Singapore from mudflats into a modern, thriving Metropolis – all in one generation – is a feat that no [...]
When an employee resigns and leaves your organisation, do you know the real reasons why? There are literally dozens of reasons why employees leave an organisation. Some of the reasons could include poor working conditions, poor compensation and benefits or a bad boss. However research by Leigh Branham and the Saratoga Insititue found that there are [...]
Do you perform Character Reference checks on your job candidates? Not too long ago, an ex-colleague of mine asked me to be his character referee for a job he was applying for. I agreed as I always have. Several days later, the recruitment firm that was representing my ex-colleague called me up for the “reference check". [...]
