Presented By:

Alicia Imbouathong, HR Recruiter

Hiring and Inspiring the Right People

• Hiring dedicated and successful employees is challenging. • Recruiters may review hundreds of resumes, only to find a

few people who have the skills, experience, and personality for the collection industry.

• Do you find yourself asking…• What makes a good employee? • What skills and personality traits should I be looking for? • How do I inspire them to choose us?

• Effective and successful hiring can lead an organization in a new direction… the right direction. • In the collection industry, attract the right applicants, develop

the best hiring practices, and inspire new employees to succeed

• In this session, we will review different marketing tools, hiring processes and incentive programs that you and your organization can utilize.

Hiring & Inspiring the Right People

GRCA Annual Conference 2011

• Founded in 1933• Tom Penaluna

– Sole-owner, President and CEO

• Four locations nationwide– Corporate Headquarters (Cedar Falls, Iowa)– Kansas City Operational Center (Kansas)– West Des Moines Operational Center (Iowa)– Atlanta Operational Center (Georgia)

• 900 + employees and growing• Corporate Vision: • Represents our focus to provide innovative, ethical call

center solutions• We set clear expectations with a new “rallying cry” for

every employee to own and live by:

Overview of CBE Group

• Attract Qualified Candidates• Review Resumes and Applications• Phone Pre-screen• 1st Interview with Recruiter• 2nd Interview with Management• Reference Checks and Employment Verification• Credit Check• Offer• Background Check and Pre-employment Drug Test

CBE’s Recruiting Process

• Free external sites: – College Job Boards– Workforce Development

sites– Company Web site

• Paid external sites– Monster.com– Careerbuilder.com– InsideARM– LinkedIn– Other local job boards

Attracting Qualified Candidates

• Job Fairs• Newspaper Ads

– Local Community– Surrounding

Communities

• Radio Ads• Billboard Ads• Theatre

Advertisements• Table Tents

• Continuous review of resumes– Keep good resumes handy– May eliminate the need to advertise when you have a job

opening• What to look for:

– Customer Service/Phone Experience– Solid Work History

• Last employment 1-2 years• Avoid “Job-Jumpers”• Question gaps in employment

– Review Written Communication Skills• How did they describe their previous work experience?• Does their objective make sense and/or relate to the

position?

Reviewing Resumes and Applications

• Continuous Pre-screening/Interviewing– If a great candidate calls in to check on the status of their

resume, get a head start and set them up for a pre-screen or interview

• Phone Pre-screen– Review interest in the position

• Thoroughly explain expectations, goals and duties• Set realistic and accurate expectations

– Past work experience• What did they like most/least about previous employment?• Why did they leave previous employer?

– Situational Questions• Look for creativity• Look for the ability to “think on their toes”• Look for their knowledge of the collection/financial industry

Pre-screen Process

• 1st Interview with HR Recruiter

– Review interest in the position• Set realistic and

accurate expectations

• May eliminate turnover

– Past work experience– Working relationship

with previous employer– Strengths and

weaknesses– Transition into the

collection position

1st and 2nd Interview

• 2nd Interview with Member of Management– Ask what motivates the

candidate– Review strengths and

weaknesses– Talk about change

• How does the candidate deal with change?

– Situational questions– Ask the candidate to

explain why they are a good fit for this position

• Reference Checks– Require at least two professional references– Ask about attitude, problem solving skills, stress

management and attendance• Employment Verification

– Verify all employment within last seven years• Credit Check

– Complete a credit check for all candidates– Review against company standards or requirements

References, Employment Verification, Credit Check

• The employment offer is contingent upon a criminal background check and pre-employment drug test

• Criminal background check– Review criminal background against company standards

or requirements (ex. theft, fraud, violent crime, etc.)• Drug Testing

– Each candidate must pass a pre-employment drug test within a specified period of time of the employment offer (ex. 48 hours)

Background Checks and Drug Testing

• Once hired, new employees need guidance and inspiration to be successful

• Orientation - The First Day– Create a welcoming atmosphere on the first day– Be prepared for your new employees

• Forgetting their first day of work can make your new employee feel un-important and make you look unorganized

– Set an orientation/training schedule• Laying out orientation/training expectations will help

you stay organized and will most likely put your new employees at ease

– Acknowledge “First Day Jitters”• Relate to your new employees• Explain that you know the first day can be stressful

Training and Inspiring Employees

• CBE utilizes classroom and hands-on training– This will aid the employees retention of training material– Making the connection between the training manual and real life

allows the employee to apply what they’ve learned more quickly• Mentoring/Shadowing

– Allow new employees to learn from seasoned employees or mentors

– Choose mentors wisely• Make sure new employees learn from someone who has a

good attitude, follows all guidelines and is willing to teach as they work

• On-going Training– New employees still need guidance and direction once out of

training– By providing this guidance you’ll increase the new employee’s

confidence– Encourage new employees

• While giving them critical feedback, make sure to commend them on their efforts

Training Employees

• CBE invests in employees, so they invest in CBE!!

• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Training (By: Stephen Covey)– Continuous training for home and work life

• Team Building– Activities that build trust and collaboration between

team members

• CBE University– Voluntary classes that educate staff on a variety of items

• Strengths Finder, Time management, Setting goals, Communication skills, etc.

Inspiring Employees

• Keep Employees “In the Loop”– As new employees become seasoned employees, make sure

you explain changes and why they are being implemented– Providing information to employees will remind them that

their daily work is an important contribution to the organization

– Inspire them to work harder and contribute more

• Get Employees Involved– Invite employees to get involved in meetings, committees

and company activities (outside of mandatory meetings)• CBE Committees: Jeans for Charity, United Way, Black

History Month, Management Development, etc.– Encourage employees to share ideas and experiences with

the company– If employees dedicate time and energy to an outside

activity, they are more likely to care more about their job and the company

Inspiring Employees (cont.)

Hiring and Inspiring the Right People

• Put the time in up front to ensure making the right hire– Won’t get it right every time but improves overall

retention

• Focus on keeping employees engaged– Survey them to gauge how they feel– Ask questions you can use to help make your

organization better

Questions?