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Ira Wolfe

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President/Author, Success Performance Solutions

129 points

A prolific author, columnist, business blogger and sought-after-expect on hiring and workplace trends, Ira S. Wolfe has been aptly described as both a “Gen Y masquerading in a Baby Boomer body” and “renaissance man.”

Ira is president of Success Performance ...

A prolific author, columnist, business blogger and sought-after-expect on hiring and workplace trends, Ira S. Wolfe has been aptly described as both a “Gen Y masquerading in a Baby Boomer body” and “renaissance man.”

Ira is president of Success Performance Solutions (SPS), a pre-employment and leadership testing firm he founded in 1996. His clients, primarily based in the United States and Canada, include small and mid-sized businesses in over a dozen industries. He is widely recognized as an expert in pre-employment personality tests, workforce trends, and social media.

Ira is the author of the new book Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization: How to Manage the Unprecedented Convergence of the Wired, the Tired, and Technology in the Workplace. His other books include The Perfect Labor Storm 2.0, The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book, Understanding Business Values and Motivators, and Coming Job Boom. He is a columnist for Business2Business Magazine and blogger for Bizmore.com and Toolbox for HR.

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WEB: Geeks,Geezers &.....

May 25, 2012

Ira Wolfe asked a question

Is is possible for an individual to have high EI (Emotional Intelligence ) but not be very skilled?

Emotional Intelligence

Leadership Management

Pre-employment Screening

May 25, 2012

Ira Wolfe and 6 other people answered this question

How can the process of recruitment be simplified and still effective?

Bob - love your point that "experience is the Court Jester of Job Performance." LOL! But this entire discussion seems to be a bit off-track. The solutions seems to point more to employee selection and not recruitment. While both are part of the solutions and ... more

Human Resources

Talent Managament

May 25, 2012

Ira Wolfe and 4 other people answered this question

Do you use predictive index personality testing as a method of eliminating candidates? If so, why?

Steve and David - It would be helpful for this discussion to know what personality or behavioral model PI is based on. I've heard mixed responses when I inquire - some say it is behavioral based (4 quadrants similar to DISC). Others say no but ... more

Human Resources

Personality Test

Predictive Index

March 18, 2012

Ira Wolfe and 5 other people answered this question

Could enforcing the 40 hour workweek help solve our underemployment problem?

Jim - agreed. It's a very complex problem with many variables. In addition to the demands of union and the fickle behavior of humans, we have a dynamic environment undergoing continuous change. I appreciate your insight. more

Human Resources

40 Hour Work Week

March 18, 2012

Ira Wolfe and 9 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Inside Look at Workforce Mobility [3/13 @ 4 pm]

Why do many companies spend so much more on external recruiting fees than on internal hiring & a focus on retention?

A great question with many causes.
1. As suggested, recruiting has become so complex that many organizations don't have the internal experience and knowledge to source and screen efficiently and effectively.
2. Recruiting to many organizations still means simply putting butts in seats. But recruiting ... more

Human Resources

March 18, 2012

Ira Wolfe is now following E. James (Jim) Brennan and 3 other people

Feb. 19, 2012

Ira Wolfe asked a question

What are the key applicant processing and employee screening functions your company needs to improve in 2012 to hire top performers?

Human Resources

Applicant Screening

Nov. 1, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 11 other people answered this question

34% of Americans over the age of 20 are obese. Should the workplace play a role in fixing this?

@ Stephen. Excellent points. Genetics do have significant influence. And some of the facts may be headline influenced to make a point. But regardless of the cause, obesity still costs money and lives. And for those that don't have genetic tags, who is responsbile for ... more

Human Resources

Health & Wellness

Oct. 7, 2011

Ira Wolfe asked a question

What's the one thing you would change right now about your company's employee review process?

Human Resources

Employee Performance Revew

Oct. 5, 2011

Ira Wolfe asked a question

What's your experience been using pre-employment tests for screening candidates?

Human Resources

Hiring and Selection

Pre-employment Screening

Sept. 1, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 24 other people answered this question

What are the top mistakes that interviewers make when conducting an interview?

1. Ask the wrong questions (not success relevant)
2. Don't wait for candidate to respond. Interviewer can't stand the silence so they rescue the candidate, so they give them hints.
4. Interviewer too focused on listening for a specific answer than listening and observing how the candidate ... more

Human Resources

Aug. 25, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 7 other people answered this question

What should a social media policy cover?

A social media policy needs to cover 4 different aspects of the business:
1. Internal Organizational Policies
2. Internal Employee Policies
3. External Audience Policies
4. Confidentialty, Privacy and Regulations
It also needs to address these 7 things:
1. Accountability
2. Transparency
3. Separation
4. Respect
5. Usage at Work
6. Confidentiality
7. Monitoring
I've posted a presentation ... more

Human Resources

July 5, 2011

Ira Wolfe published a post

5 Steps to Screening, Sorting, and Qualifying Candidates

Human Resources

Applicant Processing System

Employee Selection

July 1, 2011

Ira Wolfe published a post

Monster News for Recruiting: New Facebook App Rivals LinkedIN

Human Resources

June 27, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 16 other people answered this question

Which trait would you prefer in a leader: authenticity or transparency?

I too would agree that if you're transparent, your authenticity is revealed. That however doesn't infer high quality. As William said, authencity doesn't infer goodness. I know quite a few authentic people that I don't admire or like. more

General Management

Human Resources

June 21, 2011

Ira Wolfe asked a question

How have employment laws hampered small business productivity?

June 20, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 5 other people answered this question

Would you use Facebook to recruit talent?

No doubt about it. But like every other channel it has to be targeted to the right audience. One of my clients was looking for a recent college grad for a sales position in entertainment lighting. Facebook was a great source. Another was seeking a ... more

Human Resources

June 14, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 20 other people answered this question

Should a sales candidate have to provide W-2s from previous sales jobs to substantiate performance?

Beyond the legality, I'm not certain verifying the W-2 adds much credibility to the selection process. While some previous employers may not offer it, verification could take place during the reference checking. But even if not, the W-2 could be affected by dozens of factors ... more

Human Resources

June 1, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 6 other people answered this question

Are performance bell curves still relevant in today's environment?

A lot of good advice has already been offered. I agree the bell curve exists whether HR or management recognizes it or not. Top-middle-bottom has and will always exist. It just depends what companies do with the information. The questions that must be asked then ... more

Human Resources

Performance Management

May 30, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 4 other people answered this question

When clearing a candidate's background, is it legal to ask for past performance reviews?

As Nik responded, there's nothing preventing an employer from asking. But legal in the employment world also infers job relevant. And that's where using performance reviews for hiring gets sticky. I don't beleive anyone would suggest that most performance reviews are subjective in nature. So ... more

Human Resources

Employee Relations

Performance Review

May 28, 2011

Ira Wolfe answered this question

How do you incent employees to do more with less when you have specialized skills?

Shelby - one word: "engagement." The most important question an employer could ask is how can I engage my employees. Unfortunately the actual implementation - much to the dismay of employers - isn't a one size fits all approach. Incenting employees has a both a ... more

Human Resources

April 6, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 18 other people answered this question

what are the top 5 questions to ask employees in a performance review at a small company?

@andrea - thanks. At times, these 2 questions became the focus of the entire conversation. All the rest of my ratings and that of the employee bubbled up from there. more

Human Resources

Performance Review

March 21, 2011

Ira Wolfe and 5 other people answered this question

How can companies best identify and develop internal candidates for general management roles?

No surprise that I agree with Bob's assessment approach. But assessments without context helps tell you about the person but not if they can be successful in a new role. The results of any assessment, which includes the interview, references, and observation, (assessments don't have ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Following 12 Topics

Cloud Computing

General Management

Human Resources

Inbound Marketing

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Talent Management

Unemployment Rate

Following 5 People

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Knowledgeable in 20 Topics

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