In my coaching practice, I work with my clients so that they can become the most desirable employee possible. I offer specific, concrete steps that will benefit them in accelerating their career and earning that promotion or pay raise that they have in their sights. If you want an example, in terms of character and loyalty, of the exact opposite approach that you should take toward your profession, then I suggest you check out an article on the CNN website entitled “The Nightmare Employee.” When I first saw the title, I expected to read about someone who chronically shows up late for meetings, submits sloppy work, or spends hours gossiping with a co-worker. However, these typical problems were not the focus of the article.
Jay Goltz, who owns several businesses in the Chicago area and is the author of The Street-Smart Entrepreneur, shares his experience with unknowingly hiring an embezzler. The guy looked great on paper. He had been a long-term employee for a boss who spoke very highly of him, he had a lot of training, and he requested information about the software used in the office before his first day so that he could be effective immediately. However, this perfect employee quit two weeks later and the next day Mr. Goltz received a phone call from the FBI. It turns out this great worker, in addition to what he put on his resume, had prior experience in embezzling. And, he had used this knowledge to take $75,000 from Mr. Goltz. (The money was returned to Mr. Goltz by the affected banks upon discovery of the crime.)
What’s my point? As the Healthcare IT Market is heating up, do your part to make sure that your organization’s hiring practices are not being compromised by the need to hire many people quickly. I know that the pressure is high to get new talented people hired and productive in the “ARRA and ICD-10 Environment”, but compromising your organization’s hiring processes and standards to do so is only a recipe for disaster.
So, here is what you can do to help your organization:
- If you don’t know your organizations’s hiring processes and standards, get familiar with them.
- If your company does have an established process and you see people deviating from the processes, point it out to the appropriate person.
- If your company does not have an established process, you have the opportunity to volunteer to help create a hiring process with sufficient checks and balances.