Interviewing the Best, Latest Cholesterol Rules, Buy Some Willpower
Business
Last week we talked about how to create job advertisements that help applicants determine if your workplace and the job you are looking to fill is a great fit for them. Our goal is to give potential applicants enough information so they can take themselves out of your application process if they are not a good fit. You can review the three steps here.
This week let’s discuss how to set up an effective screening system that allows you to filter through all the applications you receive to uncover the best talent.
Create a Job Scorecard
Too many firms start their search with a lengthy job description that is too long and full of vaguely defined outcomes. Don’t do this. Instead, start with a job scorecard. A scorecard is created by defining the outcomes that your amazing hire will produce once they have taken over this job. Make the outcomes specific and measurable. This will save everyone a lot of headache at review time. Define measurables for financial and cultural outcomes. Remember that we always fail by hiring for skills when we always fire for values. Make sure that you are hiring for skills and values by knowing the outcomes you want from both.
Create an Interview Template/Scorecard
Based on the outcomes you desire from your ideal candidate, create an interview template. Assign points to each outcome you are looking for. Weight the points towards the most mission critical outcomes of the position. Fight the temptation to put most of your points towards financial outcomes. Aim for a 50/50 split between character and financial outcomes. Script out the questions and the entire process so that each interviewer can follow the script. Non-scripted interviews turn into personality contests. Don’t let his happen!
Score the Resumes
To say that judging an applicant by their resume is an imperfect science is a ridiculous understatement. But, it is the best first step we have. If you have asked additional qualifying questions or if you asked them to create a video or something fun, make those items part of your scoring criteria.
Score each resume/application package and rank your applicants in order. Decide how many you want to move to the next stage of the process (phone interview). Next week we’ll dive into the interview process.
Health
Top 5 Changes to Improve Cholesterol
OK. My total cholesterol has crept over 200. My ratios are still good, but the 200+ figure caught my attention. Here are the top 5 suggestions to improve your cholesterol from the Mayo Clinic. The latest guidelines no longer focus on just reaching a target cholesterol number, but on reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. To check your risk you can use one of several online calculators that seem to all use data from Framingham Heart Study. Make sure you have your cholesterol and blood pressure readings before you get started. Here is a link to one by the Mayo Clinic and another from the Cleveland Clinic.
- Eat Heart Healthy Foods – Avoid saturated fats, eliminate trans fats, eat foods rich in Omega-3 (fish, walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds), increase soluble fiber (oats, fruits, beans, veggies) and add whey protein (did not expect that one!). Essentially, eat more natural foods.
- Exercise on Most Days of the Week – The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. Examples of moderate exercise include walking briskly, bicycling slower than 10 mph, doubles tennis or ballroom dancing. Examples of vigorous exercise include race walking, swimming laps, jumping rope, jogging, hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack and singles tennis.
- Quit Smoking – pretty simple, not easy.
- Lose Weight – again, simple. Again, not easy. But what is a healthy weight? Body Mass Index is the measurement with the most research behind it. You can figure out yours here. The tool provides a nice little graph showing what is considered a healthy weight and where you are at. But, many consider the BMI to be a very crude tool. If you are big boned or have a lot of muscle weight, your BMI score can label you as unhealthy when you are not. That is where body fat percentage can be a much more precise tool. Many of us have body fat scales. Some have gone all the way and gotten their body fat measured by using a Bod Pod or some other relatively expensive and time consuming method. The goal here is to just have a good idea of where you are at. If you know your body fat percentage, you can see what the American Council on Exercise considers to be healthy ranges here.
- Limit Alcohol Intake – to one drink per day for women or two per day for men.
Heart disease is the number one cause of deaths in the U.S. Stroke is the fifth leading cause. All of these steps will help you limit your risk of both.
Life, Fun, Whatever
Do you have too much Halloween candy around the house? Have you promised yourself that you’ll only eat one piece, but continued to fail to live up to that promise?
Here is a solution! The Ksafe. Lock whatever you need to stay away from inside and set the time. There is no way to get in until the time is up. I wonder if they have one that can contain my pantry and freezer…. Click the image below to learn more.
Filed Under: