If you’re ready to think about work in a whole new way, you need to check out Eric Termuende and his book, “Rethink Work, Finding and Keeping the Right Talent.” I’m not exaggerating when I say this was one of my favorite interviews that I’ve done for Xenium. He sat down with me to talk about hiring, generational stereotypes, work and technology, and a whole lot more.
Eric is everywhere right now. He wrote a book, he has a TED talk, he’s on TV. The crazy thing? He got into this because he couldn’t get a job. “Yeah, I graduated from a university and I did the same thing that everyone else did: I applied to what I thought were the best companies to work for in the area. Then I realized I was applying to these companies and industries that I had no interest in at all.” Struck by the disconnect, he and a colleague started a company that quantified workplace culture so companies could tell a better story to attract better candidates. He wrote a book about it and he’s been speaking on the topic ever since.
Why are people leaving jobs so fast?
Eric’s theory is that they’re aware of more opportunities. Recruiters, the internet, LinkedIn—all these things are doing a great job of getting job postings out there. But what they’re not doing is getting the job postings right. Eric explains, “Companies are so busy selling the perks and the benefits, that when you or I go to take this job, our expectations are blown out of proportion, we’re disappointed and as a result, move on and job hop until we get it right.” The cure? We’ve got to change how we’re talking about jobs and get more real in the hiring process.
How do you attract the right talent?
Eric starts by calling out the tried and true job description. As in, it’s not working hard enough. And I have to say, he has a point. “Work is a bigger identifier of who we are now than it’s ever been before. And if we think that a 250-word to 300-word job description is going to cut it, I think that just isn’t correct.” He suggests something as simple as a video office tour could do a lot of good. Going beyond an interview with HR and inviting candidates to talk to the people they’d actually be working with. Anything that can give them a real sense of the company, the culture, how they’d be spending their time.
Is technology destroying work-life balance?
As we talked about the necessity of face-to-face interaction in building an effective culture, the ills of the laptop came up. Eric had a great point on the subject. “Maybe,” says Eric, “but I would argue that the employer is killing work-life balance, not the laptop.” His take? Boundaries on when and where we work and what’s expected aren’t coming from the tool that we use. It’s not the laptop’s fault. Ultimately, expectations from employers to employees in that culture are what’s killing work-life balance.
How do you become a “best place to work”?
In Eric’s mind, this is a trick question. “When we focus on this idea of being the best, my question to you is, who are you best for? The idea of best culture or best office or best anything doesn’t work.” You need to understand what’s best for your people. And you can’t, and shouldn’t, be the best for everyone. In fact, as Eric explained, it’s your role to communicate your company and culture so well, that some people will really want to work there, and some people really really won’t. And that’s okay, too. “When looking to attract a new candidate, I would give the most articulate description of what the experience is going to be like at work, not just to attract people, but to detract people too.” The end result? You attract people who want to be there, and will stay.
Want more insights from Eric? You can check out our full conversation here, or pick up his book, “Rethink Work, Finding and Keeping the Right Talent” to get the full story.