is598952294 motivate employees largeWould you like more self-motivated employees who are more engaged in their work? Check out these eight strategies for hiring self-motivated employees

[quotes]For many small- or mid-size businesses, the largest resource constraint isn't time, office space, or working capital: it's talent.[/quotes] A strong network of skilled and motivated employees is crucial for the success of any business, but motivation can't necessarily be trained on the job.

For this reason, it's important that motivated employees are recruited via your company's hiring and interviewing processes. We've outlined eight strategies below to ensure that your business is identifying, hiring, and retaining employees who bring motivation to the workplace.

  1. Be Honest About Past Mistakes

Many businesses fail due to stubbornness and the refusal to believe that they're doing things the wrong way. If you've had issues with employee motivation and retention in the past, now is the time to ask yourself what the organization should do differently going forward.

Review exit interviews, Glassdoor, and social media closely: What did employees complain about after they left? [quotesright]Look for trends; if more than a few ex-employees complained about the lack of challenging work or follow-through on manager promises, take heed. [/quotesright] Consider asking a mentor for their honest opinions on your hiring shortfalls, too.

  1. Job Postings Should be Enticing and Realistic

When posting job opportunities, don't be vague. Things like "engaging with clients" might sound appealing to strong candidates, but if this means 100 percent cold calling leads, you're bound to lose good talent after you've hired them.

Ensure your job postings share at least a taste of the mundane elements of the role. Feel free to soften this by including the amount of time expected in the role. For example, "Transcribing interview notes, <10 percent."

[quotesright]Job postings should always strike a happy balance. [/quotesright] You want to generate interest in your open roles, but employee motivation will tank if you get them in the door and they find out you were less-than-honest with your job duties.

3: Read Between the Lines on the Resume

You've looked at past mistakes and triple-checked your job listings. Now let's turn to the candidates who've started to apply.

[quotes]Read resumes closely.[/quotes] Did they stay in the same role for years without advancing? This is a red flag; most highly-motivated employees are promoted every few years and, if not, they seek other opportunities.

Look for extracurricular activities, too, which signal eager, well-rounded employees. Are they involved in charities, fundraisers, clubs, or sports? If a resume is bare-bones and you still decide to interview the candidate, be prepared to ask a few questions about life outside of work.

  1. Don't ‘Sugar Coat’ the Job Interview

Just as you did in your job posting, be clear about the mundane elements of the job when conducting an interview. Give an average "day in the life" and ensure you include the amount of doing data entry or calling sales leads. Eager, highly-motivated employees will ask about efficiency opportunities and appreciate your honesty about the job.

[quotesright]Also, remind candidates that this is a two-way road; if the job doesn't sound enticing, no harm done. [/quotesright] Let's face it, if the candidate would find the job dull or uninteresting, there's no way they'll drive motivation at your company.

5: Ask the Right Questions

An interview is your time to dig into what motivates an employee and what type of work they enjoy. Ask about their favorite (and least favorite!) tasks at a current or former job. What skills have they been wanting to learn, and why haven't they learned them yet? What industry training or certifications do they want to pursue?

Also, ask about a candidate's future job interests. [quotes]Where do they see themselves in five years?[/quotes] Extra points to the big-thinkers who want to stretch themselves or automate their jobs. These are the movers and shakers that you want in your company.

  1. Look for Value-Add in Prior Jobs

When reviewing resumes, look for quantifiable accomplishments. Motivated employees will be anxious to share specific, measurable ways that they improved their daily tasks or the company overall. After all, which of these sounds more enticing on a resume: "Improved company spending habits," or "Implemented digital file storage to lower operational costs by 4 percent in Q2"?

When value-add accomplishments are quantified, you can be sure the employee connects to the why and how. Another way to accomplish this? During interviews, ask for "SBOs" – situation, behavior, outcome. You're looking to understand what problem the candidate faced, how they solved it, and the end result.

  1. Give a Real-Life Problem

If an interview is going well, take it to the next level and share a current, relevant problem that your organization is facing. Ask the employee to brainstorm on this for a couple minutes, as if it were the first day on the job.

Motivated candidates might ask for a pen and paper or draw on prior job experience. If nothing else, they should demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to explore options outside of the box. [quotesright]Perhaps you'll walk away from the interview with a solution! [/quotesright]

  1. motivate employees largeDeliver on Your Promises for Motivated Employees

Congrats! You've recruited, interviewed, and hired a handful of strong candidates. But your work isn't over, the burden is now on you to retain them and keep them motivated. Let's talk for a minute about retaining those highly-motivated employees.

[quotes]The easiest way to lose good employees is to fail in holding up your end of the deal.[/quotes] Pay employees as promised and deliver on flex-time and vacation time. If you said employees can seek industry certifications or training after six months, don't balk when an employee asks this question in a meeting.

And by all means, when an employee is shining bright, discuss advancement opportunities with them early and often. Promotions are a key way to continue challenging and motivating.

Review Your Hiring Policies Today!

It's worthwhile to sit down with HR and your hiring policies to review your organization's past failures, job listings, and interview protocol. Where are the gaps in your organization and how can you best resolve them to kick off a strong 2019?

There are very smart strategies and techniques to help you make the right hiring decision. [quotes]You can save yourself the expense, time, and lost productivity of hiring the wrong person for almost any job if you use a scientific approach.[/quotes] If hiring smarter and avoiding mistakes make sense to you, we need to talk.

We're here to help you grow sales and keep employees motivated. For more organizational strategies to retain talent and grow your company, it as easy as simply dropping me an email or picking up the phone. USA: 877.433.6225 feedback@focalpointcoaching.com

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