In a recent survey,* hiring managers gave these examples of unusual tactics job seekers used to stand out … not always for the right reasons:

1 – Came dressed in a Halloween costume during a late October interview.
2 – Bought a first-class upgrade to sit next to the hiring manager on a transatlantic flight
3 – Had his wife make homemade lavender soap bars for the hiring manager as a thank you for the interview.
4 – Sent a pair of embroidered socks to HR with a note saying he would knock the company’s socks off if hired.
5 – Showed up in his camp counselor attire with some children from the camp he worked at to show his leadership capabilities.
6 – Sent a shoe with a flower in it, plus a note saying: “Trying to get my foot in the door.”
7 – Arrived to the interview in a white limousine, an hour early, dressed in a three-piece suit. (The open position was middle-wage and had a casual      dress code.)
8 – Kissed the hiring manager.
9 – Wore a tie that had the name of the company on it.
10 – Mailed the hiring manager an envelope with cash inside.

Ok I agree. These methods are pretty kooky and “over the top”… my personal favorite is #10.

That being said, you’ve got to give credit to the candidate who’s unique and stands-out albeit in a professional manner.

There’s nothing worse then sitting through another boorrring interview where the candidate gives rehearsed blah, blah blah answers to well thought-out questions.

They may look great on paper and say all the “right” things but lack pizaazz, spunck or fire in the gut!

Give me the girl/guy who’s creative, comes across as competent and maybe throws-in a little sense of humor.

Again, the above examples may be over the top but I’ll take the candidate who stands out from the pack (within reason of course) any day over “average”.

*Careerbuilder Survey

This week we deleted over 12,000 e-mail contacts in our Golf Course Database.

Why?

Because useless e-mail contacts, ones who haven’t opened job ad blasts for over 3 months, are worthless to our customers.

They”re done, gone, kaput!

We rather have quality contacts, those employed in the golf industry who actually open and read our email blasts, then tout large numbers of worthless email addresses.

Why do they open our messages?

We’ve been filling golf jobs for over 16 years. Our contacts know our service is fee-based for employers so there’s no BS (pardon the French) job postings…they’re real and immediate opportunities.

Additionally, we never sell our contact data and only send out fresh, new information.

To post your ad and get actual openings/views from the golf industries finest in Club Management, Membership, Accounting, F&B, Chefs, Catering, Outside operations etc…click here to get started.

Management turnover within a golf club can be a serious, (and in many cases), chronic problem.

Why? Because after 3-4 turns of a General Manager the club’s reputation gets tarnished and no decent candidate will then touch the job with “a 10 foot pole”.

A common cause of GM turnover occurs when committees/board members “run amok” with management responsibilities.

Here’s how the tale unfolds.

A board or committee is made up of “A-type” personalities who excel in their respective jobs yet have absolutely no clue on how to run a golf club. They hire a new manager without giving him/her much help or clear guidelines. Eventually the GM finds himself in a power struggle with one of the committee members…a battle the manager almost always loses typically with walking papers in-hand.

Moral of this story…when a Club Manager is hired he should have free reign to run the club as he sees fit. The new manager should be able to flex his “strategic muscle” based on his experience and knowledge. A disgruntled or ego bruised board member has no place in a manager’s decision making process!

If your club is in the market for experienced golf club management candidates, post an ad at
https://www.golfsurfin.com/rates

Let’s face it, effective interviewing skills for golf club positions are similar to those used by detectives.

The two most notorious investigating duo with distinct styles are Sherlock Holmes and sidekick, Dr. Watson. Holmes and Watson make a great team yet have very different interviewing techniques.

Which interviewing style describes you?

Watson is the nice guy, “voice of reason”. He typically asks elementary (no pun intended) questions and conducts a basic interview. His conclusions are based on the obvious and he sometimes misses important clues.

On the other hand, Holmes goes the extra mile. He is clever, prepared and deductive.

If Sherlock Holmes was interviewing a GM candidate for his golf club, how would he set the tone and build rapport?

Here are a few “Holmeslike” rapport building suggestions/techniques:

• Take your Seat (in a position of power) – Remember you’re the employer therefore should be in the position of power…it sets an “I’m in charge” tone from the start. If conducting interviews outside your office in conference room for example, sit at head of table. Have candidate sit to your right.
• Body Mirroring – when you mirror the candidates body movements, naturally not forced, you’re putting them at ease. Even mimicking the candidate’s speed of speech will increase their comfort level. Increased comfort level builds rapport and lowers candidate’s guard.
• Use Candidate’s Name – Be sure to use a candidates name at least a couple of times throughout the interview. But careful…overuse has the opposite effect. May come across as rehearsed, not authentic.
• Discuss other Stuff First – Begin the interview with discussion of candidate’s hobbies, referrals, sports, awards, achievements etc.. Make the candidate comfortable before getting into the “meat of the matter”.

Once you start getting better at implementing rapport building “Holmeslike” techniques, your candidates will sing-like-birds unveiling valid information for you to make the “right” hire.

And cut down on turnover.

Visit GolfSurfin.com’s Golf Candidate “Blast” for Golf Clubs & Resorts for information on on our stellar golf club candidate recruiting service.