Welcome to the August 5, 2004 issue of The Total View

Your resource for cutting-edge news, tips, and tools to help you hire, manage, and motivate top-performing employees.

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In This Issue
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1. Better Late Than Never.
2. What You Don't Know About Hiring Costs Can Hurt You!
3. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #196 to #200.
4. Liar, liar pants on fire.
5. Surveying your employees, customers, and members just got easier -- and FASTER!
6. How Much Time Are You Wasting Sorting Through Unqualified Resumes?
7. Complimentary Mini-DISC Online Profile.

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The Total View is written and published each Wednesday by Ira S. Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions. (Yes, Ira writes every article, every week!) and is distributed with permission by The Chrysalis Corporation.

Ira S. Wolfe 2004 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission only.

To learn more about The Chrysalis Corporation or to read back issues of The Total View, visit our web site at http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195567_31117962

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1. Better Late Than Never.
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For those of you who are regular readers of The Total View, you'll notice that you are receiving this week's issue a day later than usual. Reason being, is that the computer that this newsletter is prepared on possessed a corrupt file that brought our network to its knees.

We ALMOST ended up having to format the hard drive, reinstall Windows XP and all software applications. Turns out that this was really bad "tech support" advice provided by a company who will remain nameless -- but their name does rhyme with smell!

I share the above information with you because there is a lesson to be learned here that will directly benefit you.

If we did end up having reformat and reinstall everything, we would have lost very little data because we run a backup every night. When was the last time you backed up your computer data files? Ah ha -- I thought so. Do yourself a favor and run a backup today! You never know when you might need it. You can always replace programs on your computer, but you are the only person who has your data -- so back it up.

Secondly, always seek out a second opinion -- not only for computer issues, but anytime your gut tells you that there has to be a better solution to a particular problem. If we would have taken the word of these so called "technical support experts", we would have had a 3 day project ahead of us reloading and reinstalling all the programs on this computer. Their approach was way to drastic. It was the equivalent of cutting of your arm because you had an ingrown finger nail. It just did not feel right.

I ended up posting the problem on a public Microsoft discussion group and had a simple, non-drastic, solution in about 10 minutes from a kind, knowledgeable person who just wanted to help. Thank you Francis, wherever you are.

Enough said about that, now on with this weeks newsletter.

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2. What You Don't Know About Hiring Costs Can Hurt You!
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For many companies, more thought and time goes into replacing a computer printer than hiring "their most important asset".

Doesn't it seem odd that a company that regards "people as its most important asset," doesn't accurately measure the cost of acquiring that asset. That is exactly what happened when The Human Capital Metrics Consortium attempted to collect data for its annual survey. Chances are the same management teams that know the company's actual and projected revenue streams to the penny are 50 percent less likely to know the cost of hiring employees and terminating employment.

The survey just released last month, published by Staffing.org, estimates the cost of hiring one employee at $4,263 in 2003.

The cost of hiring an employee has enormous impact on both productivity and profitability and costs over four times more than what you might spend on something as basic as a computer printer. Before you purchase a new printer you do a bit of research. Not a lot, but enough to feel comfortable with your decision. You visit the local office supply stores like Staples and OfficeMax. Then you surf the Web for consumer feedback and best buys. You evaluate how many pages you print each month, the cost of the toner or ink, and whether you want color or black and white. Finally, you compare the specifications of several brands and models within those brands until you make your purchase. All this for a purchase that comes in under $1000, maybe even less than $500. Why do companies continue to ignore the importance of human capital metrics?

Studying these cost of hiring statistics offer some insight. Of the approximately 2,000 organizations participating in the study, only half had solid financial data reflecting the true cost of hiring one employee. Yes, that's right - only half of the HR professionals who supplied the data for the study had quantifiable and valid information that could be used. It is obvious - too many organizations don't know how much recruitment, staffing and turnover cost their companies. Perhaps they believe what they don't know won't hurt them or these hidden costs are just a fact of doing business. That is an erroneous and dangerous assumption.

While we are discussing numbers, let's test one more assumption. If the cost of hiring an employee is $4,263, then the company loses an equal amount on the balance sheet if that employee doesn't work out and the hiring cycle starts all over. One hiring mistake now costs $8,526 to replace a single employee. When all is said and done, the cost to hire one employee in a competitive industry can cost nearly 30 percent of the employee's annual salary. This expense doesn't even take into consideration the the cost of training, lost opportunities, impact on morale of co-workers, and strain on productivity.

Is there a way to avoid hiring mistakes without making the hiring process completely onerous?

Online personality tests can be the hiring manager's best management tool. But, like computer printers, there are a lot of choices to sift through.

With thousands of tests available on the Internet, how do you know which are best for you and your business? Here are some tips for bypassing the hype about pre-employment tests and staying on the road leading to sound hiring decisions.

First decide which type of employee evaluation tool you need - one that screens poorly qualified employees from a pool of applicants or a tool that helps you select the right employees from a short list of candidates. By assessing personality or work attitude, screening tools weed out the high-risk applicants right up front. No mess, no fuss. For example, a validated and reliable pre-employment screening test can knock out 20% to 30% of the applicant pool. As an employer, you realize immediate savings in time and effort. FirstView Job Fit screens for personality traits. SELECT screens for work ethic and attitude and Counter-Productive Behavior Index screens solely for work ethic.

Once an applicant passes through screening, it's now appropriate to use selection tools, those that identify the candidates who are both qualified and motivated. Selection tools - sometimes called personality inventories - help hiring managers cull those candidates that are the "right fit" for the job. The newest generation tool is TotalView. This sophisticated selection tool is easily used by both the hiring manager and job candidate. The TotalView Assessment System, which includes the TotalView assessment, allows a manager to create quickly a job profile that identifies cognitive abilities, motivation and interests critical for a position.

After a candidate completes the personality test, and this can be done on-line, the candidate is matched against the TotalView job profile and the manager receives a job match score. A job match score of at least 80 percent indicates the candidate has the necessary skills and personality traits to do the job. A ranking below 80 percent raises some concerns while a rating of 69 percent or below indicates serious concerns. The TotalView assessment offers even greater value to the manager because each TotalView selection report gives the manager three interview questions for each ability or personality trait where the applicant score dips below 80%.

A very common question asked to us is "can't a candidate fake the test". The answer is yes. They can try to fake it but the TotalView Assessment System has four internal validity checks to catch the candidate who thinks they are smarter than the technology.

As a quick review, a screening tool allows hiring managers to make a first cut in a large pool of applicants. The selection tool fine tunes the interview process with a means of making an objective assessment in what can be an inherently subjective process.

Because pricing is relatively low for many screening tools, it is tempting for many managers to use these screening tools to ascertain the job match between the applicant and the job. Screening tests, however, work best for hourly, low to semi-skilled job-level positions. Screening assessment tools are less effective for identifying talent in key positions such as sales and management.

Regardless of the sophistication and reliability of a single assessment, Success Performance Solutions clients have found that one test just doesn't cover all facets of human personality. Therefore, those of you who want to match the right person to the job the first time should follow this recommendation. Use CriteriaOne, our proprietary selection and employee evaluation process.

CriteriaOne uses three assessment tools - DISC, Personal Interests, Attitudes(tm), and Values and TotalView(tm). By using this "whole person approach" you get an accurate picture of the work style (HOW candidates will do the job), what candidates value (WHY they will do the job),and how quickly candidates can learn, how accurately they work with numbers, words and shapes, what interests them at work, and if they have the personality to do the job, and fit with your team and your business culture.

Whew! That's a whole lot of information. But, here's an important comment. Personality inventories are not tests in the literal sense. There are no right and wrong answers, no passing or failing grades. Personality inventories simply help determine whether a candidate is a match for the job, and as a member of your team. While they may not fit in one particular job, they might be a top performer match in another.

The Chrysalis Corporation helps many small to medium sized businesses avoid costly hiring mistake without a hassle. To speak with one of our employee evaluation experts, call us at 229.257.0665 for a no-obligation consultation or contact us at http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195568_31117962.

If you would like to view some of the screening and selection tools that we offer, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195569_31117962 and hover over the "Assessment" button, right under our logo at the top of the page. You'll be able to view assessment information for both screening and selection assessments.

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3. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #196 to #200.
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Fact #196: More than 75 percent of the workforce must be retrained to keep the jobs they have.

Fact #197: In the near future 80 percent of jobs will require some sort of post secondary education.

Fact #198: 61 percent of these will require more than a high school education but less than a bachelors degree.

Fact #199: 97 percent of our youth hope to go to college; 63 percent actually enroll but only 30 percent actually receive a bachelors degree.

SOURCE: US Department of Labor

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4. Liar, liar pants on fire.
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How many people lie?

- 10,000,000+ taxpayers -lie on their tax forms" according to the IRS.
- 6,640,000 job applicants based on "80% of all resumes are misleading".
- 489,530 attorneys, they mostly "work to benefit their clients, not to arrive at truth".
- 67,050,000 workers based on 50% or "half of American workers".
- 100% of dating couples surveyed lied to each other in about a third of their conversations.
- 20% - 30% of middle managers surveyed had written fraudulent internal reports.
- 95% of participating college students surveyed were willing to tell at least one lie to a potential employer to win a job, and 41% had already done so.

- We are lied to about 200 times each day.
- Most people lie to others once or twice a day and deceive about 30 people per week.
- The average is 7 times per hour if you count all the times people lie to themselves.
- We lie in 30 to 38% of all our interactions.
- College students lie in 50% of conversations with their mothers.

Source: The numbers above are based partially on information at the 2000 Census web site and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Looking for an assessment to help you screen out dishonest candidates? Visit the following link to learn more about FirstView Counter-Behavior Index:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195570_31117962

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5. Surveying your employees, customers, and members just got easier -- and FASTER!
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Is your company or association planning to conduct a survey? Hate the hassle of inputting survey results? Not enough time to query the data and create reports? Are you putting off getting much needed feedback from customers, employees and members?

Contact us today to learn about about real-time e- mail and web based surveys. No more hassles with entering results and creating presentations. Let us do the work for you. We can help you write, set-up, distribute (electronically), process and present in less time for less cost.

For more information about the survey solutions we can provide you with, including our Rapid Survey Option, visit the following link and type "Surveys" in the comment box. You can even contact us by phone at: 229-257-0665.
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195571_31117962

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6. How Much Time Are You Wasting Sorting Through Unqualified Resumes?
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Time is money -- and you may be wasting too much of both if you are having to manually deal with stacks of resumes from unqualified applicants.

Eliminate The Hassles and Headaches Associated With Screening Candidate with Total APS.

The Total Applicant Processing System enables the small and medium sized employer to do online recruiting and screen applicants with customizable and scorable filtering questions with a click of the mouse.

Several pre-employment assessments are built right into to the system, which helps to streamline your recruiting and selection process. Total APS was designed for small to medium size business and has pricing options to meet any budget.

Use Total APS to recruit and screen applicants for your next job opening. View more information at: http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195572_31117962

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7. Complimentary Mini-DISC Online Profile.
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We often get requests from our readers asking if we have a "quick and dirty" complimentary behavioral profile that they and their co-workers can experience -- WE DO! Follow the following link to respond to a our mini DISC based profile. It will take you less than 30 seconds to respond, and the accuracy will amaze you. Feel free to forward this link to your coworkers and boss.

Here's the link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195573_31117962

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Contact Information:

The Chrysalis Corporation
2001 Hammock Drive
Valdosta, GA 31602
229-257-0665

e-mail: mike@chrysaliscorporation.com

To learn more about The Chrysalis Corporation, visit:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195567_31117962

To send this message to a friend, please go here: http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/remote.html?ltk=1195574_31117962