Passing the exam may feel intoxicating, but it was anything but a cheap high. As many of you would guess from your own experience, I spent many hundreds of dollars between materials and exam fees. And I devoted probably a hundred hours to my studies, becoming increasing hermit-like as the date approached, my poor hubby stoically supportive as I repeatedly neglected him, preferring to cuddle up with my oh-so-sexy test prep materials.

So after all that hard work and investment, I was chagrined to start the exam, whereupon it was rapidly apparent that very little of what I’d studied actually appeared on the test. Ironically, of course,  unfamiliar terms and concepts showed up with monotonous and cheeky regularity. Panic set in. Correction: Panic would have set in, had I not been prepared. Stories from other PHR’s/SPHR’s reassured me that many people are convinced they’re failing throughout the process, only to later learn they passed. I stayed calm and focused, and by the time I hit that final submit button, I crossed my fingers thinking there was a good chance I’d nailed it. Still, my heart pounded as I awaited my results. It seemed like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. When I saw my results, I felt like I toppled over the edge. Tears stung the back of my eyes and emotions coursed through me: gratitude, relief, pride, relief, joy, accomplishment, relief, empathy for all those who were walking out of the room with less happy results. Then I left to call friends and family, share the news on FaceBook and enjoy congratulations from people who’d been there before me or knew how hard I’d worked.  To say the least, it was a golden, roller coaster day.

As is customary when someone passes these tests, I have a few tips to share:

Pre-Exam

Make a study plan. When you formulate your plan and select your materials, know yourself. It doesn’t matter what I did–what matters is what works for you. I have a fair amount of discipline and I’ve been doing HR for awhile, so I chose self-study. But if you’re a newer HR pro or you know you’ll have trouble staying on track, get into a study group or pay for a class. As far as materials go, for my primary source, I went with HRCP as recommended by my HR blogger friend Ben Eubanks. I also bought an SPHR-specific guide on my Kindle, so I’d have it everywhere I went.  And I bought some audio CD’s from Distinctive HR so I could listen to exam tips and definitions on my daily commute. The variety of learning approaches worked for me. Figure out what would work for you.

Take chapter tests. Most materials have written or online tests at the end of the chapter or section. I’m ashamed to admit, but in the beginning I used to skip through those and rush to the next chapter. (Big learning reinforcement opportunity squandered.)

Take longer practice tests online. A lot of people give this advice but they don’t always tell you why. After all, none of those questions will be on your exam, and most of your practice tests do not approximate the questions you’ll actually encounter. For me, though, practice tests did three things: One, of course, is bring to light material I still needed to master. Two, you work up to the physical stamina needed to test for three or four hours. Three, and most importantly for me, after taking a number of the longer tests with 50, 100 or 225 questions, I started developing a sense of what it feels like to achieve 60%, 70%, 80%. In my actual exam experience, then, as I completed my final review, I felt there was a good chance I’d accomplished the magical 71%.

You can find tests all over the Internet.  I took the ones through my purchased materials and also liked the free 225 question exam at HRCIstudy.

Take some time off, if you can.  After ten years with the same employer, I have a lot of leave, so I took two weeks off just to study.  I realize few people have that luxury, but I do know that studies indicate that many Americans lose vacation time every year because they don’t take it. So if you’ve got a few days or a week that you might lose anyway, why not use it to study?

Time your exam better than I did. Especially if the December holidays get busy for you, as they do for many of us. December was a wash for me in between work events, other obligations, family, never-ending gift-buying, my husband’s hospitalization over Christmas. In retrospect, the ideal testing dates in the December/January testing window would have been as early in December as possible.

Day Before

Cover logistics. Gas up. Charge your phone. Put the address in your GPS. Double-check all instructions. Set two alarms. Put some bottled water in your car because you’ll probably be thirsty after the exam.

Get a good night’s sleep the night before.  If you don’t know the material by now, there’s no sense cramming. In the morning, eat a good, balanced breakfast and don’t drink so much coffee that you’re jittery. 

Exam Day

Arrive early.

Take the tutorial. When I sat down at the test terminal, I almost bypassed the exam tutorial option; after all, I think I know how to use a dang computer! But my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking, and I wisely decided that the tutorial would be a nice little buffer/segue into the test. On a practical level, I learned something I otherwise wouldn’t have known: you can strikeout wrong answers, an awesome feature! I then started the test with my blood pressure and pulse lowered several notches.

Use the strikeout. As you review responses, you can click on wrong answers to strike them out. As a visual learner, this feature helped organize my thoughts and reduce the feeling of overwhelm; suddenly I only had two or three choices instead of four.

Stay calm. Know that it’s normal to feel supreme confidence one moment, followed by despair the next. Stay focused on each question. If you are clueless, skip it and come back later. The correct answer may seem much more obvious later. Or another question may even supply the needed answer.  If you’re not sure, mark the question and return to it later. Do a final review of all at the end.

Expect some “left field” questions. Most questions were short, somewhat subjective and concerned strategic HR, but a few were long and extraordinarily detailed about obscure areas of HR I’ve never read about nor encountered in my fifteen years. And as I said earlier, some terms and concepts were unfamiliar to me. When that happens, eliminate answers that seem far-fetched and make your best guess.

After the exam

Celebrate. Share your joy! Enjoy the hugs and congratulations. Thanks your friends and loved ones for supporting you. Order new business cards. Update your email signature and your social media profiles. Enjoy the moment.

If you’re contemplating taking the test, I sincerely wish you the best of luck.  Twenty-four hours after my exam, I am glad it’s over and I hope never to repeat the experience. In fact, I am so “over” taking the SPHR that when I picked up my son after the test, I dramatically threw my study materials into the street.  We both got a good laugh out of my defiant act, after which I gathered everything up again–after all, I paid good money for those books. And someone else could use them.

As I slogged through the SPHR exam, fresh from studying content/criterion/predictive validity (among three gazillion other topics),  I couldn’t help but wonder about the validity of the test as a measure of HR pro performance and success. Still, all cynicism and questions aside, I’m happy I did it. I worked hard, sacrificed, persevered, reached a huge goal, and I feel really good about my accomplishment.

But not so good that I’d ever want to repeat the experience. There are no more SPHR exams in my future! From here on out, it’s all CEU’s for me.

A business is a well-oiled machine, relying on the seamless execution of a number of processes to drive it forward. Disruptions and delays (bottlenecks) will occur unless you keep these processes in ship shape. In the hiring process, bottlenecks are more than just an inconvenience. They can damage company culture and tarnish your brand – making it more difficult to attract and hire top talent. Smoothing out bumps in the road before they turn into more serious issues is essential to the ongoing success of your recruiting and hiring efforts.

That said, here are four leading causes of bottlenecks in the hiring process – and ways to avoid each one:

 Living in the Dark Ages. Without the proper technology, the sheer volume of applications a single online job posting attracts can be nearly impossible to manage. As such, many organizations experience delays at the onset recruiting–which is frustrating for candidates and hiring managers alike. Accepting resumes and screening for experience and qualifications are a part of the process, but applicants perceive that nothing is happening until an interview takes place.

Online application and screening tools help companies maintain momentum by reducing time spent in this initial stage. If you don’t have an applicant tracking system, you need to get one. The first step toward minimizing bottlenecks in hiring is automating the most menial aspects of hiring so you can focus on engagement.

Communication breakdown. Breakdowns in communication–both internally and with applicants–make you look bad to candidates, not to mention the increased time to hire for new employees. Dragging candidates along and changing the rules of engagement from one manager to the next will hurt your ability to hire anyone at all.

Get proactive and minimize the chance for breakdowns by establishing expectations and define your process upfront with all parties involved (including candidates). Hiring and recruiting is largely a collaborative effort, and establishing ground rules for everyone involved will help reduce bottlenecks from interview to hire.

Lack of planning. When you lack a formalized process with a vision and end goal, getting from one stage to the next can be painful. A number of businesses’ primary concern is to quickly fill positions as they open. They use ad hoc processes to hire an adequate candidate rather than the right candidate.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to completely overhaul your process to create a cohesive hiring plan that’s aligned with corporate strategy. Start by asking what growth your leadership has on their horizon for the next quarter, six months, or year–and then plan accordingly. “If you start with a plan,” says George Bradt, managing director at PrimeGenesis, “then the variations of the plan are fewer and further between. Ad hoc hiring is going to happen, but there’s at least a unified plan to start with.”

Sequential hiring style. You post the same ad you used last time, find three candidates to interview, and hope one of them has what you’re looking for. If not, you go back to square one–you post the ad, find three candidates, and the cycle repeats. But relying on the same old iterated process to meet myriad staffing needs is more than shortsighted, it’s inefficient.

The greatest value lies in having a working process. By designing a hiring process that works in tandem with talent management and supports your business strategy, your recruiting efforts will be much easier to manage. You don’t have to read every book ever written on hiring strategies, but you do need a uniform process that meets your organization’s culture, values and needs.

Best Practices are the Cure for Hiccups

Strategic staffing requires the cooperation and shared effort of multiple parties, and as with any business process, hiccups and delays in hiring will happen. With a sound process in place that keeps stakeholders informed and engaged, however, bottlenecks will be fewer and further between. By incorporating the best practices that make the most sense to your organization–and by leveraging solid technology–you’ll be better prepared to deal with any other flaws that emerge.

About the Author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice—a company that reviews online hr software. He blogs about technology, trends, and best practices in human resources and recruiting.

Earlier this week, a Facebook friend expressed frustration over the arduous employment application process her husband encountered at  Best Buy.  She suggested bloggers apply at bestbuy.com, document their experiences and write about it.

I had a few extra hours on my hands, so I got started.  I was quickly frustrated when I tried to apply on my little tablet; I was informed I need to re-try on a standard sized screen.

So I waited for my turn on the family PC and I tried again. I was instructed to create a log-in and password, which I wasn’t excited about doing.  And of course,  I provided my e-mail.

Next, I got a screen warning me not to give false info, followed by a screen of helpful summary of ADA, a screen  about  Best Buy’s commitment to EEO, and one about my privacy rights.

Then I was prompted to enter a “restart code” in the event that the application process proved to be so frustrating that I felt a need to stop, take a break, and put my head through the wall.   (Okay, that’s my wording, not theirs.)  I declined. They helpfully asked again if I wanted a restart code. I said no thanks. Then I was told that Bad Things would happen if I didn’t sign up for the restart and later needed to take a break and return to my application. I decided to live dangerously and forgo their kind offer.

Then I was asked to give my SSN twice. After that, I was asked for personal info, such as my first and last name. Apparently, I wasn’t forthcoming enough because they followed up by asking for my middle name.

Then they wanted my phone number and they asked for e-mail AGAIN. Then my address.

And just knowing my address wasn’t enough. The following screen asked how long I had lived there, longer or shorter than five years. That felt a little intrusive. And what the heck does it have to do with anything? If I upgraded from apartment to house three years ago, does that make me a risk?

A bunch more screens followed about criminal background check, three pages of disclosures, a screen about my age.

Then, after all that, then they informed me that I could proceed to the next page and actually–can you believe it–BEGIN the employment application process itself!  Yay, off to the races.

The next screen asked how old I am, 21+, 18+, 16+ or less than 16. Then they had a drop down list of positions I’m applying for, even though I thought I already communicated that when I put my cursor on the original position and hit “apply”. The next screen displayed the job description and the following one asked, can you do this?

Then they had a separate screen for each of the following: schedule, availability, other languages, referral source, EEO data, employment status, more on criminal background, drug testing.

And then they suddenly ask whether I was willing to work with the public. I’m thinking they might want to move  that up near the top somewhere, maybe…?

More screens:  Had I ever been fired over an attendance issue? They also wanted to know my disciplinary history and the three departments I would most like to work in.

And then suddenly out of left field, they asked if I am at least 16 years old, making it the third time they asked about my age.

More screens followed. They advised me that according to Maryland law, they can not require me to take a lie detector test. They asked if I had changed my name in the last five years.  Then, almost as an afterthought,  they asked (again) for my last name, first name, and middle name, in case I wasn’t sure the first or second time around. And by the way, did I have any felonies in the last 10 years? And hey,  they needed my DOB for the criminal history.

Three screens for: Do I currently attend high school? Do I currently attend university? Do I currently attend other school?

More questions. Do I have any employment experience, part-time, seasonal, full-time or volunteer?  Screens for references followed, then several for more disclosures. Then there were at least 10 screens asking about whether tax credits apply.

Finally, about 45 minutes into the process and almost 60 screens later, I hit “submit.” Had I really been applying for the position, had I been careful about my responses,  my investment would have been longer.

And suddenly I knew why I can never find anyone at Best Buy to answer my questions. All the wanna-be sales associates are sitting at their computers, trying to get hired.

photo by liber(the poet)

Every relationship involves a honeymoon/infatuation stage. Although we most often think of the notion of ‘honeymoon’ in regard to romantic relationships, the concept also applies to the workplace. After all, new employees experience a honeymoon phase.

Here’s a little story*. Recently, we hired Elizabeth. After the manager Paul made the offer,  HR called Elizabeth to arrange her orientation, being very careful to consult Paul because, as always, we want and need the manager to participate throughout the onboarding process.

On the appointed day, Elizabeth arrived, smiling brightly and expectantly. HR completed our section, but every time we went to look for Paul, he was either on the phone or in a closed door meeting. This went on for hours, and HR’s conversations with Elizabeth became increasingly pained until she finally gave up and left without seeing her new manager or having her questions answered.

I’m sure that Paul was under pressure dealing with this Real Emergency or that Valid Crisis. I’m sure there were deals and issues and problems I don’t even know about. Maybe some of them were life or death; who am I to say?

That said, let’s think about it from Elizabeth’s point of view: This is her first day on the job.

This is the day she said, “Yes!”

This is the day she gave up her former life and joined our company.

This is the day she hoped to be swept off her feet.

This is the day she expected  to be WOWED.

This is the day she hoped for all that.

Instead, what happened? How long was Elizabeth’s  honeymoon?

Less than 60 minutes.

Can I say this again? How long was her honeymoon?

About an hour.

Elizabeth’s new job excitement lasted a grand total of 60 minutes, give or take, before she realized her boss wasn’t coming. That’s almost like saying the groom didn’t show at the church. What a horrible, wrenching moment when you realize you’ve been left alone at the alter.

The experience may not be exactly the same, but it’s close. Elizabeth left another job to join our firm. She risked everything–her family’s livelihood, her mortgage, her future–she risked everything for this job. After risking everything, her confidence that she made the right career choice lasted less than an hour.

In less than 60 minutes, she was disillusioned or at the very least questioned her choice and her judgment.  She quickly realized that her new boss has more important things to do than welcome a newcomer to the team; she learned he had more pressing matters than answering her questions; she saw he had higher priorities than making sure she has the information she needs to be successful in her new role.

It must have been a confusing and disappointing day for Elizabeth. It was also a frustrating and  sad for the HR department, despite our attempts to smooth thing over for her.  All honeymoons end, but we were crestfallen that hers ended so unnecessarily,  tragically, and so #(&$%  prematurely.

After all, why do we have crushes? What is the evolutionary purpose of an infatuation? In my opinion, these early, intense emotional experiences exist because they are a cushion allowing enough time that “real” love might  have a fighting chance to sprout and grow.

All honeymoons end; that’s a given. The  challenge is to set down deeper roots, real attachment, before infatuation fades away.

But when the honeymoon ends on Day One, real roots, real connections, real love, are very unlikely to form.

What a waste. HR friends, managers, we can do better.

What was your shortest work honeymoon, and how long did you stay at that job?

photo by teresachin2007

The most important thing to remember is to optimize the initial phase of your new position. This first stage of the promotion is an opportunity to get to know the roles and responsibilities of everyone you will oversee, or work alongside. Talk to your team to learn about the different jobs and how they fit together. Make notes of people’s names, general duties and ask questions including who fills in for them when they are out of the office. Do not make immediate changes. It is important to get a clear idea of where things stand before you start making adjustments. When you are beginning the new position, colleagues may feel more comfortable being candid about what is working and where they would like to see change. Not only will you better understand the role of the individuals in your organization, but you will also gain knowledge about how to create the best teams for projects.

Take the time to listen to your new team. If employees feel that you will listen to them, then they will be more likely to support you. Listening can also help you figure out whom to delegate which tasks to as your responsibilities increase. Communicating well with your team may uncover new possibilities within the present staff. Assessing which employees may be willing to take on more responsibilities in can save you time and money.

In the beginning of a promotion, you will also want to learn all you can about the HR policies, procedures and guidelines that you would not have been privy to in your previous roles. You might have to deal with additional HR procedures, such as hiring and payroll. Make an appointment with HR when you first get promoted. This will give you time to learn any new information before potentially making a mistake.

During the transition period of your new promotion you might need to re-assess the time and ways you socialize with peers who are also friends. Going from peer to boss might require a change in your interactions. For example, if you have previously engaged in casual banter about other team members, you will now have to refrain from such comments. It is vital that everyone on your team feel equally valued. You should handle these situations honestly and directly. Making sure employees feel that you are operating on a level playing field will encourage involvement as you begin to create goals and plans.

As you move into your new position, you can begin making plans. Be sure to include future goals, your expectations and who will take over tasks if an emergency occurs. Leading into your promotion with a detailed understanding of the key facets in your organization will help you build camaraderie and set you up for success in your short term and long term goals for years to come.

This article was submitted by University Alliance on behalf of the online programs at Villanova University. If you’re interested in HR certification, Villanova offers 8-week HR courses in addition to an HR masters degree. For more information please visit http://www.VillanovaU.com

photo by  Horasis

Oprah knows lots of things for sure while I only know one, and it has to do with managing people:

Address difficult performance issues directly and address them promptly.

If your employee is struggling and you avoid difficult conversations, the situation rarely improves by itself. Instead, things tend to get more complicated and difficult. Time after time, I’ve seen ignored performance issues morph into something else when complicated by subsequent FMLA requests, workers’ comp or disability claims, harassment charges (or, when it really gets good, two or more of those variables plus several others I didn’t think to mention). After the introduction of the complicating medical or legal factor, addressing the performance issue only gets murkier, uglier and more expensive. That’s when you pick up the phone and call your attorney.

So when employees struggle, talk to them. Although it may seem hard to believe, it will never be an easier than it is right now.

P.S. what do you know for sure?
Photo by NailaJ

You can figure out the rest of the story. Of course, to my chagrin, I learned my neighbors were in fact correct; flying in the face of typical rules of English spelling and pronunciation, the flower is indeed spelled L-I-L-Y.

If it’s not already abundantly clear, let me come out and say that I make many mistakes in my writing. My grammar is not perfect. I overuse the passive voice and I sometimes conclude sentences with prepositions. Often, I use too many commas; other times not enough. And when I text from my phone’s virtual keyboard, I inflict a prodigious amount of typos upon my unfortunate readers.

With all my mistakes, I don’t intend to judge anyone with this post. That said, I see educated, professional (HR) people repeatedly making sloppy, elementary  mistakes that I believe detract from our collective credibility, errors that make us appear less educated and professional than we actually are. Some of the most frequent and basic errors concern contractions vs. possessives.

So this is my public service announcement. Please refer to my handy-dandy grid to help determine when to use you’re or your, who’s or whose, it’s or its.

As the astute reader will undoubtedly notice, I’ve made a number of grammatical errors in this post. Two points for each error you bring to light in the comments.

But at a recent event, I noticed many of the HR pros were downright frumpy.

And I wondered: what are the chances that a frumpy people can change the world? Hmmmm.

This week, check out my HR Frump post at Women of HR.

Now I live in Washington, DC, which purportedly experiences four seasons, not two.

Yeah, right.

The reality? Half the year it’s too hot and the other half it’s too cold, with precious buffer between the two. Okay, to be fair, I’ll concede we do enjoy about three weeks of Autumn (breathtaking) and nine days of Spring. If we’re lucky.

Though I haven’t experienced the Spring and Fall of DC tourist lore,  I still love our summer; hot, long and humid though it is. Who doesn’t love summer? Summer is golden. Seemingly endless.  Full of promise.

When I think about the seasons, I can’t help but think about the organizational life cycle, which mimics the seasons of our own lives.

Spring: Expectancy, exuberant  ideas, exploration, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity.

Summer: Phenomenal growth; energy, excitement and passion as ideas take root and bear fruit.

Fall: Maturity. Autumn color. Bureaucracy.  Noticeable decline; the need to take stock and change course or suffer irreparable  loss.

Winter: Spiraling down to an inevitable end, unless the organization aggressively reinvents itself.

For me, the organizational life cycle hits home in a personal way because I often interact with colleagues from competing organizations that are obviously aging. I observe employees at these mature [Fall/Winter] companies struggling on a daily basis for their very survival. I watch them fighting by relentlessly pruning, cutting back, saving costs, contracting, playing it safe, minimizing risk.

I watch their sailors on the bridge desperately cranking the ship’s wheel, fighting for every degree of change–and often losing–seemingly oblivious to the water pouring in over the sides, threatening to swamp them at any moment.

And I  wonder: in response to threat, is contraction a sufficient response to prevent imminent demise?

Are ‘cutting back’ and  ‘playing it safe’ valid strategies to ensure not just survival but robust recovery?

Or should we throw out all that antiquated caution and act more like we did in our organization’s youth, when we impetuously threw all caution to the wind and cast ourselves into the innocent passion of  Spring and Summer?

photo by Krista Francis

As interesting as this debate is, the reality is that most of us–regardless of our role (HR, employee, manager) and despite our own personal philosophies–are stuck with “what is”  for the moment. The annual  review process is probably not going anywhere any time soon at the majority of organizations.

So while you’re working for change, make the best of what you have.

One way to do that is to be authentic and truthful in your appraisal of your team. For one thing, don’t over-inflate the scores.  Don’t fake it, in other words.

I’ll phrase this as delicately as I can, but we all probably have a friend who happened upon what [in the heat of the moment] seemed like the perfect and safe response to the pressure of certain expected responses  relating to their partner’s romantic performance:

FAKE IT!

But of course, what gets us off the hook for the moment (and what originally seems like a Einstein-like brainwave) quickly backfires. Faking it might work for a single encounter but is disastrous in an ongoing relationship. In fact, when you fake it  in a romantic or work relationship, you have skirted the issue and perpetuated what is broken. You have ensured you’ll receive more of what doesn’t work, what disappoints you, what doesn’t meet your expectations.  You have just painted yourself into a very disappointing, limiting corner; one from which it is difficult and extremely awkward to extricate oneself.

To move to another more functional place, you will have to explain that your original enthusiastic feedback was not accurate. You’ll have to re-set expectations while  managing  the other party’s anger, confusion and mistrust.

Good luck with that.

In a romantic relationship, faking it primarily affects a couple. But at work, it also impacts the team, the department, the organization, the organization’s success and the bottom line.

So as difficult and awkward as it is, if your employee or partner is not rocking your world, do them a favor and communicate that reality. Don’t pretend everything’s amazing when it’s not. Don’t avoid the truth, which only relegates you to more of the same.

In other words, don’t fake it.

photo by:   PUNKassPHOTOS