HR Toolkit
Professor Chris McShane | IEMG 8540 A
Damien Lazzari | Staff Management in an International Context
This toolkit was designed as a best practice resource for:
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job seekers confronted by salary negotiation
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managers developing and advertising a position
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managers in the candidate interview and selection process
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managers confronted by cross-cultural challenges
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managers promoting diversity
The style of this website is blog-like, as I reflect on each of the best practices shared from a mix of personal experience and third party resources (please see Reference page), and how the information will be helpful to myself and others in the future.
Salary Negotiation
Three Tips
1) Come prepared - If possible have data and/or evidence to support your reasoning. Have a reason why you deserve the salary.
2) Be heard - Just because you are most likely the least experienced one at negotiating (and possibly in general) in the room, does not mean that you should not be heard. Make sure you get your questions answered. Do not get blown off or passed over. Stand up for yourself.
3) Close Cautiously - You do not have to come to an agreement. If something seriously seems off and you do not trust the status of your negotiation, just ask for time to think about it and come back until you can get the deal you deserve, or that is at the very least, just. You do not want to be taken advantage of or agree to something that you do not fully understand.
These tips stem from the personal experience of enrolling in a weekend seminar entitled, Corporate & International Venture Capitalism. I was one of the only non-MBAs in the class and the only IEM student. One of our assignments was to familiarize ourselves with a case from Harvard Business Publishing called, "Negotiating Equity Splits at UpDown" (2012). We were then assigned a role and broke into groups to negotiate how two founders and one member, filling the role of a leaving founder, would negotiate the founder's equity, salaries, and seed equity. I felt very "out of my league" going up against two MBA students. I had never negotiated a salary or anything of the sort prior. They manipulated me horribly, but I walked away with the three important takeaways seen above.
What needs to be included?
The following information is needed to develop and advertise a position:
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A catchy title
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A brief description of the position, often only two or three words ("community health educator")
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Basic qualifications
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Full or part-time status
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Job location
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Starting date
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Either actual salary & benefits or a phrase like "competitive salary and benefits"
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How to apply and application deadline
This information was adapted from the University of Kansas' Community Toolbox
and is a healthy starting point for developing and advertising any position.
Develop & Advertise a Position
Candidate Interview & Selection Process
Interviews personalize the facts. As soon as possible after interviewing a job applicant, ask yourself,
Which candidates
• exhibited a presence?
• were interactive during their interview?
• have significant experience relative to their technical skills?
• were consistent in answering questions?
• possess acceptable communication skills?
• will be able to work well with other employees?
• seem to be a good fit with the company?
Consider asking some of the questions found below:
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Have you ever left an employer involuntarily? If so, what were the circumstances?
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What is it specifically about our organization and this position that is attractive to you?
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What made you happy or satisfied at your last job?
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How does your experience of the last two years make you a suitable fit for this position?
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If you were me, why would I hire you?
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Why do you want to work here?
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What do you know about our company?
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What did you like/dislike about your last job?
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What would you like to be doing five years from now?
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What are your biggest accomplishments?
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Can you work under pressure?
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Tell me about a time when you had to meet a tough deadline. Are you able to take direction/criticism well?
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Tell me about a time when your supervisor gave you feedback that surprised you.
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Tell me about yourself.
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What is the most difficult work-related situation you have faced?
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Tell me about a customer situation that you found challenging. How did you handle it? Were you pleased with the outcome?
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Do you prefer working with others, or alone? Have you had an opportunity to work on a team? What was your role? Was the team successful? Why or why not?
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How would your former boss describe you, using just one sentence?
This information was adapted from Purdue University's, The Hiring Process. Refer to the document for more tips, steps, and templates when interviewing and selecting candidates.
Cross-cultural Challenges
In a weekend seminar workshop called, Intercultural Group Dynamics, we explored how understanding one another's perspectives on their culture, other cultures, and culture in general can help to foster team bonding through understanding. If there seems to be conflict in the workplace and you think cross-cultural misunderstandings may be responsible, then consider the following activity, as a type of cross-cultural training, that can be done with small groups or with large groups. The images seen below are meant to provoke reflection and dialogue amongst a group, while ultimately bringing the group closer together. Ask the group why the images seen below are metaphors of culture. Note down the similarities and differences amongst the various group members. If team members do not understand another's perspective, have them explain to the group to promote understanding. Go deep and encourage mindful participation and dialogue.
The Iceberg
The Onion
The Tree
The Sunglasses
The Artichoke
The Fish Bowl
References
Recently, I attended a training by former black panther, Ms. Ericka Huggins. The training was called, "Engaging as an Ally: A Sensitivity Training for Racial Equity." A major takeaway I took from this training was a single question:
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY...?
This may seem simple, but is a brilliant tool from a managerial perspective for promoting diversity and racial equity in the workplace. As a manager, if you hear someone say or act in a certain way that seems questionably biased or otherwise inappropriate, one can use the question seen above to gather more information about the statement or action before jumping to conclusions. Also, this way, the manager can diffuse the situation through education if necessary or clarity if the situation was simply a misunderstanding. By doing so, you will be defending equity in the workplace, as well as promoting diversity because word will get out that your organization defends and encourages diversity.
Promoting Diversity
The references listed below are listed in order of appearance:
Wasserman, N. & Malhotra, D. (2008). Negotiating Equity Splits at
UpDown. Harvard Business School. Retrieved from
http://media.wix.com/ugd/6eb6e2_990f273b2e92491eb6362d8242fd868f.pdf
University of Kansas. Community Toolbox. Advertising for positions. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-
contents/structure/hiring-and-training/advertise/main
Purdue University. The Hiring Process. Retrieved from https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/PPP/PPP-69.pdf
Weekend Seminar Course. (Fall, 2016). Intercultural Group Dynamics with Peter Fordos. Middlebury Institute of
International Studies at Monterey.
Engaging as an Ally: A Sensitivity Training for Racial Equity with Ericka Huggins. (Fall, 2016).Middlebury Institute of
International Studies at Monterey.