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Liz Ryan leads the Human Workplace movement and is the author of Reinvention Roadmap. She’s a rare bird and a refreshing voice in Human Relations. We discuss modern HR shortfalls, why HR is broken, and why today’s common HR practices are actually squashing collaboration and creativity.

If you’ve been frustrated applying for a job, or are currently in a job search, you’ll be fist-pumping through the entire interview.

 


 

 

Liz Ryan Smashes the Traditional Job Hunt

Liz Ryan says much of the career advice you’ll hear is akin to bowing down and kissing someone’s feet— it completely grosses her out. She set out to write and give working people their dignity back, helping them understand they are half of the equation. Employees aren’t dog-meat, and employers aren’t kings. Employees hold half the power.

 

HR Folks Have No Idea How To Interview

“Interviewers and their deficiencies are 99% of the problem in interviewing” Liz explains. “Interviewers don’t know what the heck they’re doing.” She details how recruiting is extremely broken and believes it may be the most broken corporate process there is. “The fact that we’re able to hire good people at all is a miracle because most recruiting processes repel talent.”

 

The HR Process Weeds Out Creative People

Liz Ryan explains that if you go outside the traditional broken process you’re tossed out. This is a problem because creative people always go outside of the traditional process!

Many questions HR professionals rely on date back to 1930s hiring processes, according to Ryan. “The process is absurd.” HR professionals should be asking “tell us what you left in your wake” or questions like “what were you proud of in your past job.” Not “what were your tasks and duties.”

An additional problem is that HR recruiters advertise in public areas, and then complain when they get the general public applying. The Liz Ryan method of recruiting is working ahead to staff people and having those relationships on hand before the job comes available. HR, recruiters, and sales should be similar in function: Sales looks for customer leads, and HR should look for employee leads.

 

Modern HR Squashes Humanity out of HR

By filling out a standard online job form, Liz explains you can’t tell the difference between a slacker who did the bare minimum and a high performer that blazed their own trail and created value for an organization.

Hard-working candidates should be encouraged to go after jobs in creative ways, make direct contact and create relationships, but instead, they are asked to avoid contact and fit themselves into a broken box. No wonder candidates are now ghosting employers.

Raised by wolves in HR, Liz has never worked for an HR person. She learned by simply doing it. She explains online recruiting tools are designed to keep candidates away and help HR people avoid doing their job.

She believes these tools are dangerous and, just like any online tool, filter out the best candidates. They also rely on keywords, and of course, keywords rely on input from hiring people. Input that is deeply flawed.

 

HR People Are Likely Terrified

HR people seem to think their job is just to keep their CEO or company out of court Liz explained, but that’s not their job. Their job is to create an amazing place to work. She says CHROs need to have this talk with their CEO and help them understand what their role is supposed to be.

The fact is, introducing a legal document between humans can destroy the relationship, according to previous guest Dan Ariely. HR’s primary job should be to help humans, not legally protect an organization.

 

A Big Tip To Enhance Corporate Creativity

What’s Liz’s big tip to change your culture and enhance creativity? “Tell a little more truth,” Liz says to gently take tiny steps and tell your bosses small bits of truth. Grow those muscles in yourself and tell more truth to your superiors. It’s extremely difficult she explains, but it’s necessary to uncork your creative culture.

 

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