Recruit, Inspire & Retain

Brainstorming for More Recruiting Ideas

If this were group training (in person or web cast), we’d ask you to shout out any ideas that came to you as you read the following recruiting ideas. Oh, what the heck, we’ll ask you to anyway! E-mail rir@trainingsys.com all the recruiting ideas you get from each below. (The person with the most ideas wins a FREE AUTOGRAPHED copy of The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush!)

* Recruiting firm, Recruit2Hire, sends out sales openings to its job seekers by cell phone. How could you use this idea in your company? What else does this make you think of?

* The average age of a Registered Nurse in a large county near Chicago is 48 years old, and there aren’t enough new RN’s or people preparing to fill the jobs that’ll be opening as they retire. This Baby Boomer retirement issue is plaguing other industries as well. What could healthcare institutions do now to help this problem? How could this apply to your industry?

* Southwest Airlines was the only major carrier that didn’t lay off people in the fall of 2001. They knew customers needed even more attention since 9/11 and enough staff has allowed them to provide it. Hiring right reduces the cost of employee turnover, loss of customers, and the cost of mistakes. How could you use this idea in your company?

E-mail rir@trainingsys.com  with your ideas by 4/30/03 for your chance to win The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush and get your ideas printed in our May issue.

I’ve Had Lots of Jobs
My first one was working in an orange juice factory, but I couldn’t concentrate, so I got canned. Then I got work as a tailor, but it was just a sew-sew job, and I wasn’t suited for it.
Then I tried to be a chef. Figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn’t have the thyme.
Next I worked for a pool maintenance company. It went swimmingly for a while, but eventually got to be draining.
My last job was in a grocery store, but I didn’t put much stock in it, and ended up getting sacked.

*War: A reason to read “The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush”: “I am so glad I read The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush! I feel so confident about his war decisions, As President Bush has been taking various actions over the past month, I think, ‘Ah, that makes sense. That fits.’ Thanks for the confidence builder in an uncertain time.” (We got this message from numerous people!)

*On President Bush, Journal 10+, & designing training the TRAINING SYSTEMS' way: “President Bush is not the only genius in the crowd! It takes one to know one, and you’ve got what it takes! Congratulations to both you and your co-author. I enjoyed reading all of it. I would love to reference parts of the book that I enjoyed most, but my copy is out on loan.

Thanks to the Journal 10+  you introduced me to a couple of years ago, I have it that you went to Sedona with us 2 years ago on Friday, February 23. I keep up with the journal, sometimes covering a week or more at one sitting when I come back from a trip. It’s a good discipline and a great way to help remember things.

I recently developed a 3-hour customer service training course complete with workbooks and facilitated it for Scottsdale Air Center last week. I even did a timetable! Everything I learned about training I learned from you. By the way, it went well.” Susan Ramsay, Avitat Network-Worldwide

Adapted from Halftime Guide daily e-mail (HalftimeGuide@leadnet.orgn)

Plan to Reinforce Training Before You Train (if you want performance)

Many employees and their managers feel like they participate in training, learn some new skills and new ideas, and then it’s just a roll of the dice whether the learning will actually stick. They filled out their workbooks, watched the video, read the self-study manual, did all the practice, the role plays, the exercises...they should now know everything there is to know about that subject or skill and be able to apply it.

The reality is that the more the manager and other employees are involved in the process before, during, and after the training — the more seriously the employee will take the learning and the GREATER THE ODDS that they will transfer what they’ve learned to their job. The learning keeps going long after the employees have left the group or finished the video, OJT, computer/web-based training, or self-study manual. That’s why the time and effort spent following up with the employees after training is one of the most important keys to ensuring that they retain and utilize what they’ve learned.

Design reinforcement into the learning, so the learners, their co-workers, and their managers will easily be able to reinforce the learning on an ongoing basis. Choose the methods below that fit.

Some of these are initiated by the manager (M), others by co-workers (C), others by a training professional (T), and others by the learner (L).

* Actively participate in determining training needs (M C T L)

* Actively participate in the design of the training (M C T L)

* Select learners according to established criteria for that training and the need for that skill
(M C T L)

* Participate in an advance briefing on training (M C)

* Participate in some training with employees (M)

* Arrange meetings between former learners and those about to learn to discuss how to transfer learned skills to the job (M C T L)

* Make sure the learner uses the new skills immediately (M C L)

* Have employee complete a Learning Action Plan to plan performance after training (M T L)

* Conduct a pre-training meeting to discuss objectives (M T)

* Take a pre-training survey to determine current skills/knowledge (M T L)

* Show your excitement about the learner learning — what they’ll be able to do when they finish training (M C T)

* Schedule the learner’s workload so they can focus on learning instead of worrying about what’s not getting done and what will be waiting when they return (M L)

* Plan the evaluation method for use after training (observer checklist, post test, etc.) (M T)

* Publish a training newsletter (ex. “Plotting our Progress”) (M T)

* Hold reminder/booster sessions (at regular staff meetings and/or special sessions) (M T)

* Use Supervisory Follow up Booklet, which lists all skills learned, behaviors that should be seen, and what can be done to reinforce the learning (M)

* Give constructive and immediate verbal feedback on performance (M C)

* Plan and communicate rewards and incentives (on-the-spot and/or before the training) (M C T L)

* Conduct a meeting with the learner back on the job to plan use (M C T L)

* Have the learners write postcards to themselves re: skills they’ll use and mail/give to them 2 weeks after completing the training (T)

* Provide the learners with checklists and worksheets for use on the job (M T)

* Have the learner share training experience and learning with co-workers on the job (M C T L)

* Involve the learner in work-related decisions based on new learning (M C)

* Request reports from the learner on the use of new skills and knowledge on the job (M T)

* Send 2 Minute Boosters to their e-mail at pre-determined intervals. See an example of the 2 Minute Booster we sent out.

from Creating Highly Interactive Training Quickly & Effectively, pp 19&20, by Carolyn B. Thompson.