Welcome to the January 26, 2005 issue of The Total View
Your resource for cutting-edge news, tips, and tools to help you hire, manage,
and motivate top-performing employees.

If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and want your own subscription, visit
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=11&c=9

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In This Issue
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1. What is top of mind for small business owners in January 2005?
2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #331 to #335.
3. Interview Questions and Job Interview Resources.
4. Nine percent of the public has been convicted of a crime!
5. Stop Sorting Through Stacks of Unqualified Resumes -- Complimentary Webinar Reveals How.
6. Have You Downloaded our Complimentary DISC E-booklet Yet?

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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 2005 - 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/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=12&c=9

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1. What is top of mind for small business owners in January 2005?
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If builders, contractors and remodelers are any indication, it's finding qualified workers and time.

This was the near unanimous concern for the 150 housing professionals who attended my workshop at the 2005 International Builders Show in Orlando this past Sunday. These folks represented just a few of the more than 90,000 who registered for one of the largest trade shows in the country. Business is booming for many of these employers and that is great news for the economy. They only wished they could find the right people.

I am the first to admit to not having a magic wand to wave and - voila! create a team of qualified workers. Candidly, if anyone looks at the demographic and socio-economic trends, no one has THE answer. What I offered was a solution for the second biggest concern - a predictable, yet affordable, test for hiring. The reliability and time-saving features of pre-employment tests and job matching (or employee selection) assessments generated a lot of interest from several dozen participants. But the hottest response came from my introduction of the automated online job interview to pre-qualify candidates as well as writing structured behavioral interview questions based on specific job competencies.

Despite admitting to performing dozens of interviews over their lifetimes as owners and managers, most admitted to asking the wrong questions and not being able to detect the truth-tellers from the fibbers. The difference between a predictive interview and the traditional one lies in the interviewer’s ability to ask the right questions in the right way, and interpret the answers and the way they are given, which determines whether the prospective employee can and will do the job for you.

How do you ask the right questions? I offer a simplified 3-step process.

First list five or six essential activities or functions the prospective employee must perform exceptionally well to meet or exceed your expectations. This is followed by identifying the core competencies required by employee to actually complete these activities consistently and effectively. Finally you develop interview questions that target the required behaviors.

This third step is where most managers slip. They understand the job inside and outside and do a pretty good job of recognizing the core skills. But then their interview process starts losing its wheels. One of the most common mistakes I see is that the job questions don't get to the real issue - does this candidate have the capability to do what he said he did in the past for you in the future. Too often the manager asks a question, hears what he or she wants to hear, and moves on to another question.

Sometimes the interviewer is uncomfortable asking a question that makes the candidate - well, uncomfortable. Avoiding that type of question may be appropriate if the position you are filling never causes any stress. Unfortunately in today's environment that almost never happens. Under most situations, asking tough questions, focused on the requirements of the job of course, is crucial to find out how this candidate will handle difficult situations or even to learn how they will respond if they don't have the answer.

Another mistake interviewers make is creating a checklist of interview questions, then feeling compelled to go down the list. While having a list of qualified job-related questions is imperative, the good interviewer can ask just one or two questions, and by listening and observing and then following up with another question, cover all the essential core competencies without interviewing like a robot.

Let me give you an example. One client listed the following responsibility for a manager: "assist the Chief Financial Officer in modeling a Team Work Spirit concept by participation in Company and community activities." Many interviewers would ask this question: "have you ever worked with a CFO in modeling team spirit and if so, describe the experience."

The candidate, if prepared and coached, can eloquently describe a series of events that absolutely knocks your socks off. Unfortunately, while this question is good, it doesn't help you understand how this candidate feels about the team work nor does it help you understand his role and contribution in the building team spirit.

Based on my client's key activity, I provided the following questions:

--What do you feel are the benefits of teamwork?
--How do you get everyone on board for your projects?
--Describe the most successful team you've ever worked on?
--What made it so successful?
--Describe your personal contributions to its success?
--If we called your former co-workers, how would they describe your role?
--Give me an example of a situation in which you had to coach or mentor someone?
--Describe a leader you admire the most?
--How have you handled problem employees who refused to cooperate or under-perform?
--What did you do to try and improve their effectiveness and morale?

By starting with just one responsibility or activity and one question, you can listen and observe how this candidate will lead and follow, motivate and mentor, relate with people and reward and recognize, problem solve and make decisions, gain consensus and improve collaboration.

One activity. One question. Listen. Observe. Probe. That's all it takes to screen out the unqualified candidate and select the right employee.

For help in asking the right questions, contact us today or scroll down to #3.

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2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #331 to #335.
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Fact #331: Three of four companies are not confident their current talent pool will meet future needs. (Source: RHR International, 2004).

Fact #332: Half of companies will lose half of their current senior management by 2010. (Source: RHR International, 2004).

Fact #333: Approximately 50 percent of privately held, women-owned firms in the top 50 metropolitan areas collectively employ 9.5 million people and generate $1.3 trillion in annual sales. (Source: Center for Women’s Business Research).

Fact #334: Almost half of Canada's workforce will be over age 45 within a decade. (Source: WarrenShepell Research Group).

Fact #335: Workers age 50 years and older experience about 60 per cent more workplace stress than in 2003 and twice the level of workplace conflict. (Source: WarrenShepell Research Group).

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - $7.95 includes no shipping costs. Follow this link to learn more:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=7&c=9

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3. Interview Questions and Job Interview Resources
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--Online Pre-Employment Tests.
Check out these online pre-employment tests that include Fr*e interview questions with each report:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=24&c=9

--What Interview Questions Can You Ask?
Ever wonder which questions are legal to ask and which ones increase your probability of landing you and your company in court as a defendant? Download our Interview Guide:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=25&c=9

--TotalView Assessment System.
TotalView Assessment is a proven selection assessment for hiring, promoting, coaching and team building supported by a simple automated system for creating and managing job specific benchmarks. Each TotalView Selection Report includes personalized job-specific behavioral interview questions. To view samples, go here:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=23&c=9

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4. Nine percent of the public has been convicted of a crime!
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According to the US Department of Justice, more than 59 million criminal-history records are on file at state repositories nationwide.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that the number of prison releases is growing, with more than 500,000 ex-offenders rejoining the community each year.

Three job categories are typically require greater scrutiny and “duty of care” before hiring:

1) Employees who work with “vulnerable” populations: childcare, eldercare, teachers, security, and some healthcare workers.

2) Handlers of money, financial, or other sensitive data.

3) Employees with significant public exposure, especially those who go into clients’ homes (e.g., service people).

We now offer Pre-employment Online Background Checks. To learn more visit:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=9&c=9

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5. Stop Sorting Through Stacks of Unqualified Resumes -- Complimentary APS Webinar Reveals How.
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What is Total APS you ask? It's a an applicant tracking and assessment system that puts your recruiting and selection efforts on auto pilot. If you a small to medium size business and sifting through stacks of unqualified resumes, you NEED to attend this webinar.

Total APS frees up your time to communicate with only QUALIFIED candidates and helps you ensure a good fit between a person and the job that they are applying for. APS s-aves you money helping you avoid costly hiring mistakes.

The best way to fully appreciate how much time, money, and frustration Total APS can save your company is to experience the system in action. So we are offering a 35-minute, no-obligation online webinar demonstration of the Total APS system on Thursday, February 3rd, 2005 at 2:00 P.M. EST.

This webinar is complimentary. The only requirement is that your company has at least 20 employees. All you need to participate is a regular phone line and a high speed internet connection.

Enrollment for this webinar will be capped at 10 participants to ensure efficiency. To enroll, simply go here:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=18&c=9
fill out the contact form and type "APS Demo" in the Comment Box. You will receive separate instructions on how to access the webinar.

If you can't wait until February 3rd or are unable to attend the live webinar, check out our 7 minute multimedia online presentation on the Total APS system NOW! visit:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=26&c=9

Please note that you will need a high speed Internet connection to view the multimedia presentation along with a computer that has speakers so you can hear the audio portion.

Remember, this Total APS demo WILL be capped at 10 participants -- so register today to ensure your space and stop the resume madness.

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6. Have You Downloaded our Complimentary DISC E-booklet Yet?
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If you are new to DISC, or just want to brush up on your DISC knowledge, we invite you to download our complimentary e-booklet Teamworks: 42 Tips to Help Teams Thrive & Survive.

This easy reference pocked guide will provide you with a solid understanding of the DISC model in clear, concise language. You will learn:

--Four ways that people approach their work.
--Secrets to reading a person like a book.
--How to predict a person's behavior.
--What motivates your boss and coworkers

Follow this link to download Teamworks: 42 Tips to Help Teams Thrive:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=2&c=9

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Contact Information:

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