Hey wanna go out?

One of the hardest things an entrepreneur will ever do is hire and fire employees. The quest to find and keep good ones is like finding Big Foot or the Lochness monster. Some say they have seen it but has been ever elusive. As I read bad cover letter after bad cover letter, I keep hoping that I will find my prince charming amongst all these frogs. I feel like I am at a bar hearing every bad pick up line in the book. Come here often. What’s your sign? You must be an angel. Let’s tweet. Let’s be Facebook friends. “I recently found your job posting”. Well yeah I posted it. “I think I would be great at this job”. Yea- I am sure you do think that. But do you know anything about me, about my company? Did you even bother to spend the few minutes to see the website? Do you care? How many generic cover letters have you sent out? Do you go out to a bar and use the same pick up line- going to girl after girl till one wants to go out. NO! So how can you send the same cover letter to company after company and expect to get that interview? Your career is riding on the line but still you chose not to spend the extra time to set yourself apart. Then you have those candidates that sound so good in the cover letter, you want to hire them on the spot. He is so good looking but after further review, no one is home, there is nothing in the head. The resume does not support the letter. Who really wrote it? How can this be the same person? Most likely it is not.

It has taken me years, but now I find it rather comical. It is Darwin’s theory. It has become survival of the fittest. Let them weed themselves out. Show no mercy. Tell that guy -thanks but no thanks. I want someone who will appreciate me for my beauty and not a conquest. Keep your free drink. I want someone who will help me grow my business and be there for the long term. Take the time to find the right person. Take it from me, It is best to hire slowly and fire quickly. You will save yourself a lot of heartache and money!

Putting on my push-up bra

Today I have decided that I am metaphorically putting on my stiletto heels and my push-up bra, and I am going dancing to find a man! What forced me to put on my shortest skirt and high heels, my girl friend? If I was going dancing with her, I would need to look just as good and have a better attitude. It reminded me of my early college years. My friends and I would go dancing at this night club called the Palladium. I hated going there. I rarely ever got asked to dance. Maybe it was because my girlfriends were taller than me, prettier than me, funnier than me or maybe it was my attitude. One night was tough, everyone was dancing except me. Each time a guy walked over, it was to dance with another friend and another. My self esteem was crushed. When someone did finally ask me to dance, I was so mad I said no. I didn’t need a sympathy dance. I needed to keep my winning losing streak. Sounds funny but that was how I felt. So why do I bring this up. Because the same feeling continue to come up in business. The feeling that I am not pretty enough, not smart enough, just not enough. The feeling that my company is not big enough, I don’t have enough employees. I am not capable. My offerings are saturated in the marketplace. There are too many girls like me- too many girls to choose from and I am not what companies –the boys, are looking for right now. Getting out there and introducing your services and company is a part of growing a business. Belonging to associations is a great way to build relationships and grow the business. The only problem is that not all associations, just like not all night clubs are going to be best for you. I belong to this organization which assists minority businesses in getting contacts with large corporations. The problem, there are too many people in my commodity. So do I want to dress up and go to the party? No, not really – but if I don’t, I will never find out if I find that right person that will take my business to the next level. Plus, I don’t want to hear about the great guy my girlfriend met and that I should have been there. So, I will have to put on my push-up bra, the stiletto heels, my positive attitude and see who takes notice of me. What do I have to lose…. There is nowhere to go but up.