Dennis Howlett at Accman Pro has a great blog. He is always open to new ideas. Dennis took a whole new approach to a job advert of mine and re-wrote it and put it on his blog (ably supported by David and Jason). For example:
The original advert:
You will be very computer literate and have good technical accounting knowledge. You will possess strong communication skills, have the ability to manage others and to work independently. Strong practical experience of accounting systems and Excel is essential. Knowledge of Crystal Reports an advantage.
Dennis’ version:
Technical skills:
Strong practical accounting skills are assumed with an emphasis on assisting business managers rather than preaching the numbers. In addition, candidates will need to demonstrate a genuine passion for technology. The geekier the better but not to the point of speaking in Java or PHP. You need to be an Excel Wizard and if you have Crystal skills, that’s a bonus. You need to have solid communications skills - written and oral.
Social abilities:
Team player? Good. Able to work unsupervised without goofing off or panicking? Ideal. Flexible? Goes without saying.
In fact it was so good Malcolm McLelland showed it to about 100 intermediate financial accounting students at Purdue University. 9 out of 10 preferred Dennis’ ad when compared to a typical ad.
I would like to see more ads like the one Dennis created, but I don’t expect I will (in the near future at least). Changing from the normal and expected to something new and unexpected is often unsettling. People generally don’t like change; with change comes risk and with risk comes potential failure. It’s easier to play safe and stay with the status quo.
Let’s look at the downside if I created an ad in the informal style used by Dennis then where could I go wrong? I can think of the following:
• Add inadvertently appears ageist, sexist or raciest due to adopting an untested approach
• Job criteria appears too woolly and a rejected candidate challenges the selection process
• Lawyers involved fighting a case brought on by the wording of the ad
Let’s now consider the advantages:
• Differentiates the company making it stand out from the crowd
• Gives the candidate a clearer idea of the company and the position
• The company appears a more attractive place to work
With change comes risk. The trick is to properly consider and minimize the risk; managing the downside, whilst delivering on the upside. For example, the HR specialists can check the ad wording before release and remove any potential problems. The ad still needs to be well written and touch the right spot to deliver the upside, but the downside risk is controlled.
If risk can be managed then what are the other barriers to change? The biggest, in my opinion, is the extra effort involved. It’s hard work to change and make change successful. Attempting the new is always hard work, at least initially. It’s easier to stick with the tried and tested.
In business the phrase cost v’s benefit is common. To take this phrase in the context of the above raises a question. Is the cost and risk of change worth the effort? That’s a question of judgement and it’s your call, but don’t forget that we are all living in a technology revolution and revolutions cause change.
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Philip Woodgate
Kicking off this new blog category of Global Corporate Nonsense we have this wonderful quote from Oracle:
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