Optimize the Employee Performance Review

In today’s technology-intensive business climate, employers must be able to accurately gauge the evolving needs of their enterprise, how individual employees are coping with change, and how each staff member’s role is shifting relative to h/er original job description. The individual employee performance review can be an effective tool for measuring progress, and for improving productivity, morale, and relations between managers and staff. But it can also be a waste of time if the participants are unprepared.

Prepare for the performance evaluation in advance and pay attention to details. Here are some areas you may want to consider:

•  the employee’s professional rapport with h/er co-workers, superiors, and subordinates

•  skills and execution in key areas like organization, timely response to e-mails and phone messages, courtesy toward clients (barring exceptional circumstances), and completion of tasks ahead of deadlines or key dates

•  any comments or feedback, whether complimentary or otherwise, about the employee from h/er colleagues or immediate supervisors

•  opportunities for professional growth, on-the-job training, and skills upgrades

It is wise to give an employee plenty of notice that a performance review is forthcoming, and remind h/er a few days before the meeting. This will give h/er time to identify issues that s/he may want to raise, including h/er goals within the organization, and areas where s/he may need additional support.

Hold the evaluation in a confidential space, and set an agenda.

 

Dedicate a certain number of minutes to each area you’d like to discuss; aim to stay more or less on topic and on schedule. Confidentiality is important. You don’t want everyone in the office to know your opinion of the employee, and the employee won’t want rumours about h/er strengths, weaknesses, impressions of relationships with colleagues and professional goals to spread.

Don’t leave compensation to the end.

Employees are understandably interested to know the level of compensation they can expect today and in the future. If the individual you’re evaluating senses that you’re glossing over the subject or avoiding it, it could become an elephant in the room. And distractions of that magnitude during an evaluation are never helpful.

Whether you believe a raise is in order or not, state your position and your rationale. If possible, try to put a positive spin on a non-raise by hinting at actions your employee can take to qualify for a salary bump and increased responsibility. Staff who feel that their pay is arbitrary, or that their career is stuck in neutral, may become discouraged and contemplate moving on.

Ask questions, and provide opportunities for your counterpart to do the same.

You may have formed a certain impression of the employee and h/er performance already, but it’s still important to hear the other person’s point of view. You could even begin the meeting by asking the employee to evaluate h/er own performance, and compare that assessment to your own.

In the event of an underperformance, there may be confounding factors you haven’t accounted for. On the other hand, if an employee is enjoying success, s/he may offer an explanation that will enable you to foster h/er continued success.

Finally, just as you would at the end of a job interview, reserve a few minutes for the employee to ask questions, raise concerns, and pitch ideas of h/er own.

Make sure you’re on the same page.

Review the key points raised during the evaluation as it draws to a close, and ensure that you both (employee and manager) understand and accept your expectations of each other, and your responsibilities moving forward.

What to Look For In a Social Media Manager

Social media has become an integral component of the marketing strategy of many businesses. There is good reason for this: social media platforms bring millions of prospective clients, customers, and business professionals together, offering a dynamic, interactive commercial opportunity with few precedents in human history.

That said, to make effective and profitable use of social media, one needs both a specialized skill set and a knack for conveying the desired message.

If you plan on hiring a social media specialist to preside over your business’s online interactions, keep the following criteria in mind.

The right kind of experience and knowledge

Applicants for the position of social media manager won’t have decades of in-kind experience to fall back on, for the obvious reason that social media is a relatively novel tool. So don’t concern yourself principally with the total duration of a candidate’s experience. Instead, seek individuals whose skills, accomplishments, and outlook are compatible with your organizational culture and goals.

Ask candidates to provide descriptions and links to their past social media work, their social media accounts, and (if possible) testimonials from previous employers. You can also elicit their responses to skill-testing problems, such as “We’re hoping to design a multi-platform social media marketing campaign to promote (X), with the following messaging requirements. Show me how you would approach this assignment.”

Millennials tend to be digital natives.

We’ve all heard the standard received wisdom about millennials: they feel entitled, they have lofty ambitions but aren’t willing to work hard to achieve them, etc. However, empirical research indicates that such stereotypes are not new; rather, elders have been griping about “the younger generation” for centuries. By the same token, every generation invariably features both underachievers and high achievers.

 

Social media is one area in which millennials, on average, tend to be more comfortable than their elders. Many young professionals entering the labour force today may have got their start on social media before they learned to ride a bicycle. When it comes to hiring a social media strategist, you’ll need to dispel any lingering, overgeneralized misgivings you feel toward millennials. The most qualified candidates for the job are likely to be members of this youthful cohort.

Search for potential candidates on social media.

Candidates for a social media manager position will often have searchable profiles on various platforms, and an established online presence. As soon as you field a job application from someone, run a search for that person on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and any other social media platform your business currently uses. If you can’t easily locate the individual you’re looking for, that may be cause for concern.

Proficiency in spelling, grammar, syntax, and a conversational writing style

Your business’s social media accounts are the face of your online presence, and errors that appear in these spaces reflect poorly on your organization.

Often, a social media manager’s job description includes the curation of content for a newsletter or Storify article. Depending on the specifics of the position, a social media manager may also be required to create original content for a blog or website. A high degree of language proficiency, a strong grasp of basics like spelling and grammar, and an engaging and conversational writing style, all are valuable assets.

A background in sales, marketing, or customer service

While a long history of experience in social media management shouldn’t necessarily be a top priority, social media strategy is largely a question of communicating and disseminating your company’s message effectively. Look for candidates who have a history of solid performance in this area, bo

Starting Your Business with a Clean Slate

Breaking up is hard to do. That's true for relationships and also for ending your contract with an employer.

Whether you're moving on to start your own business or have been hired at a company that could be considered a competitor, you'll want to make sure you can start your new job with a clean slate.

A lot of the following issues might be covered in your employee contract. It's worth discussing with an experienced lawyer to make sure you can get up and running without a potential lawsuit slowing you down. 

Here's what to look out for:

Intellectual Property

It is obvious that anything you created or invented during work hours for your company is owned by that company. This would be considered intellectual property. Where it gets fuzzy is any work you did on the side during off hours. Things could be further complicated if you used any type of company equipment like a computer or software for your own inventions. There could be a strong claim for that property you created.

Non-Competition

It stands to reason that if you're good at your current job, then your start-up would be related to your skill set. That might be cause for concern if you are going to be in direct competition with your current employer. Most contracts have a non-compete clause that can last up to a year. It might take that long to line up your investors and launch your business but you'll you might be restricted from doing any kind of work that is deemed "the competition." Worst-case scenario, you sit out the year and spend it planning.

Non-Solicitation

This is often referred to as the "poaching clause." Just because you've created solid working relationships with a lot of clients doesn't mean you can "steal" them all for your new business. It's a tricky area. A client can go to any business they want as long as they don't violate a contract. The mere fact that you're starting up on your own might be enough incentive for the client to jump ship. From a legal standpoint you'll be covered if you don't actively solicit that client.

If you have doubts about any of these areas then you'll be better off checking with a lawyer. Additionally, you should consider your future plans when accepting any job. If your goal is to become your own boss then a restrictive employee contract which prevents that from happening might not be worth signing.

There is nothing wrong with negotiating. Just make sure you're not getting trapped into a contract which will stop you from pursuing your dreams.

How to Find a Job Candidate's Social Media Profile

When a potential employee applies for a job they are hoping to present themselves in the best light possible. They are in charge of their own CV and behavior during an interview. However, if they will be hired to have a public role representing your company, you're well within your rights to do a deeper investigation into their online presence.

The thing about social media is that it's out there for the public to see. When it comes to tweets, comments and other types of public postings that job candidate can't expect those to remain secret. If you want to find out more about a prospective employee you can start with their profile picture.

Search By Image

A person who posts a profile will often use the same profile picture. You can find out where all those pictures have been used by installing Google Chrome. There is a easy to use extension plug-in called "Search by Image." You'll need to ad that app to your Chrome and you'll be good to go.

Once it is installed, all you need to do is right click the photo and use the "Search Google with this image" option. You should be directed to a page of duplicate photos. Each one of those photos can link to a different social media account where that profile picture was used. You'll be able to follow that person onto Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. If they have a blog or YouTube Channel you can also find a pathway to those accounts with the Google Image Search.

Keep in mind that this isn't an invasion of privacy. If someone posts pictures of themselves going wild at a bachelor party or hurling slurs in a comment section then they are being their own worst enemy. Just because you can post something doesn't mean you have to post everything! A person's discretion with their public profile says a lot about their character.

Expanding Your Search

Once you've found links to their social media accounts you can get a sense of how they interact in various forums. You can use this same tool to track information about your own company. If you have a product picture on your website that might have been snagged by someone to post in their own blog. Do they have permission for that? Are they saying disparaging things about your brand? If you discover something like that hopefully you can bring a quick end to the negativity.  

What to Know When You Apply to Work for a Startup

Working with a new startup could mean that every day is "Casual Friday" but that shouldn't be your only motivating factor for employment. In many ways, getting in on the ground floor of a new business can be an exciting and incredibly beneficial learning experience. However, before you apply for work at a startup you'll need to be aware of certain factors which could influence your decision:

Flexibility is a must.

Have you heard of the proverbial "well-oiled machine"? That's a business which is functioning at peak efficiency. If there are snafus, they are quickly dealt with by management. With a start up you might not get any of that. Even simple things like office assignments could change from day to day. When all goes according to plan things should fall into a productive routine but it might take a few months to establish order. You just have to hunker down and go with the flow. If you're someone who is easily frustrated by office upheaval than a startup might not be the right fit for you.

You're a team player now.

Every successful company is built on collaboration between employees and management. That is especially true in the initial phase of a startup business. Although you might have been hired for a particular skill set, often you'll be called upon to pitch in at other areas throughout the company. Yes, this might mean running out for the lunch orders, answering phones or unpacking office supplies in those early weeks. Establishing yourself as a strong leader and team player in the early stages of a startup will help secure your position down the line. 

Don't get comfortable with the perks.

Part of the learning curve with a startup is in understanding the right way to spend the company's money. At first the bosses might be happy to provide free lunches or happy hour drinks all picked up on the company tab. However, as business settles in, upper management will start paying closer attention to that bottom line. As a result all those perks might fade away. Enjoy them while you can and remember that's not why you joined the company.

There will always be risk.

Even if you're working with an entrepreneur with a proven track record of success there is no guarantee that success will follow them into this new venture. You need to go into a startup aware of all the risks. For every success story there are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of startup failure stories. If you're okay with accepting that risk then go for it.

How to Manage your Independent Contractors

Every day more workers are joining the ranks of the independent contractor. As someone who is considering tapping into this potential workforce you want to make sure that freelancer is going to get the job done right. Here’s what you need to do to make sure you’re getting the work you’ve contracted for.

1.      Make the Interview Call

A lot of freelance work can be conducted exclusively via the internet. This means you can search, hire and accept work all through email. However, to make sure the independent contractor you’re considering is reliable, reach out for a quick telephone interview. You can put forth your expectations and find out more about the candidate over the phone then you could with an email exchange.

2.      Write an Employee Contract

If you expect nothing then you’ll never get disappointed. However, if you want a freelancer to achieve certain goals then put them in a contract. There should be no question as to your expectations of their performance, their compensation and what measures it would take to terminate the contract. Start out by being on the same page.

3.      Set Specific Deadlines

Every project should have a delivery date. Your freelancer should be well aware of those dates and be able to deliver on time. What they don’t need to know is if the deadlines you’re providing are the actual deadlines. There is nothing wrong with a little padding on your side! That way you can make any corrections or fill in the gaps if that contractor doesn’t deliver. And all the deadlines should be in writing.

4.      Don’t Micromanage

With every new type of employee there will be a learning curve. You’ll want to make sure they understand the assignment and that they are delivering on time and on budget. In the beginning of a new working relationship, you might feel the need to check in on the progress. Nothing wrong with that. But once that contractor has proven they can deliver, let them do the work. No need to keep poking them for progress.

5.      Make Yourself Available For Clarification

It goes without saying that your employee can ask you for clarification about an aspect of a project. The key is to make sure you’re responding to their query in a timely manner. You don’t want them to stop the work while waiting a day for your answer. This could prove to be a challenge if you’re managing someone in a different time zone. Keep checking your email when you’ve got a deadline approaching.

6.      Reserve the Right to Terminate

If you reach the point that a freelancer isn’t living up to their end of the contract, then you’re well within your rights to terminate the agreement and move on. There are too many talented folks out there who can deliver exactly what you’re looking for without the hassle. 

Great interview questions to ask when hiring your first employees

 

Starting your own business is exciting and also challenging… but you’re finally making your dreams come true of becoming your own boss.

You’ve worked out and tested your business plan. You have investors lined up and you’re ready to go. All you need now is the right staff.

There is always going to be a huge learning curve associated with any type of startup. Ideally, you shouldn’t weather that storm all alone. You should find capable workers who can support your plan. Part of the hiring process will involve interviewing your prospective employees. The following questions could become a good guide for the interview.

How are you with customer service?

The correct answer should be, “Awesome!” But don’t take their word for it. Run a few scenarios by them to see how they would handle a particular situation related to your business. Role playing is an effective way of seeing how this employee might handle a spontaneous situation especially one involving an irate customer.

Describe what it means to be adaptable. 

There’s no escaping that with a startup you’re going to have some days of genuine chaos. How will your new hire handle the pressure? Can they think on their feet? Will they need constant supervision? Ask them to discuss a previous work experience when the unexpected happened and how they adapted to that situation.

What was the last project you worked through successfully?

Hopefully, the candidate you’re interviewing will have had some experience relating to your business. They should be able to talk about a previous work project they either initiated or were put in charge of. What did they learn from that experience? What mistakes did they make?

How would you rate your drive to succeed?

It’s easy to find workers who punch in, do their tasks and punch out. They get the job done but don’t go that extra mile. If you’re excited about starting your business then you want someone who is going to share your enthusiasm.

How do you resolve employee conflicts?

Hiring a staff means you’re hiring multiple personalities. In the best case scenario everyone will work in harmony but we all know that is a lofty goal to achieve. Even if the person you’re interviewing is just for a staff position you still want to get a sense of how they’ll get along with the rest of your team. Communicate your goals and then see if they “get it.”

One of the best indicators of a good employee is through their references. Ask the references similar questions about the candidate. Look for consistencies in the responses. If there is any inconsistency, find out why.

Can You Hire Unpaid Interns to Help Your Startup?

It certainly takes a lot of staff to get a business up and running. Along with the full salaried employees, many business owners have turned towards the idea of bringing on unpaid interns as a way of supplementing the staff needs. The Ministry of Labour has very specific guidelines when it comes to bringing these types of workers into your business. The first thing you have to determine is if your intern fits the official definition of an intern.

As classified by the ESA (Employment Standards Act) an intern is “an individual who performs work under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university.”

A person who falls under that classification is excluded from being designated as an employee and therefore doesn’t have to conform to the ESA requirements for that type of worker. However, there are some possible complications. The ESA defines an employee as one or more of the following:

a)      a person…who performs work for an employer for wages,

b)      a person who supplies services to an employer for wages,

c)      a person who receives training from a person who is an employer, as set out in subsection (2) For the purposes of clause (c) of the definition of “employee” in subsection (1), an individual receiving training from a person who is an employer is an employee of that person if the skill in which the individual is being trained is a skill used by the person’s employees, unless all of the following conditions are met:

a.       The training is similar to that which is given in a vocational school.

b.      The training is for the benefit of the individual.

c.       The person providing the training derives little, if any, benefit from the activity of the individual while he or she is being trained.

d.      The individual does not displace employees of the person providing the training.

e.       The individual is not accorded a right to become an employee of the person providing the training.

f.       The individual is advised that he or she will receive no remuneration for the time that he or she spends in training.”

Obviously, that is a lot to sort through. The best course of action is to contact the Ministry of Labour before hiring an intern to make sure you’ll be in compliance. You might also look into programs where the government will provide funds to your business if you hire a post-secondary student for a 12 week internship.

Strictly speaking, you’ll need to pay for 25% of this person’s salary but the government will step in and fund the rest. This applies only to companies with fewer than 500 employees who have been in business for a year or longer and it is only for improving a company’s e-commerce website.

It could be the perfect way to get a fresh approach for your business!