What’s Wrong with your Sandwich Maker?
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So I wanted to purchase one of those cool sandwich makers “as seen on TV”. You know the ones…throw a bunch of “stuff” into a skillet / press type appliance, press it down and wait for a hot, tasty treat? I did a little online research on different models. I was surprised to learn that the prices varied so much; up to $110 in some cases.
I lucked out, however. I found one that looked quite reasonable. Just $9 and free shipping! So I placed my order. It said it would take 10-15 business days to arrive. To my pleasant surprise, it took just two days for my new little miracle of science to arrive. I ran to try it out right away. It even had a little “recipe book”.
Then my excitement came to a halt. My first attempt at my hot, flattened sandwich with pretty griddle marks resulted in something that once resembled a sandwich now burnt to a crisp. Several more attempts…each time, it was either charred beyond recognition or severely undercooked and soggy. My sandwich press now sits alongside my “ab isolator” and my “juice making bullet” in a box in storage.
So what does this failed attempt at culinary arts have to do with Recruitment? Quality. In this case, lack thereof…
As Recruitment professionals, we do produce and market a product. It’s Human Capital. I realize that doesn’t sell well via a slick talking pitchman during re-runs of Gomer Pyle but the products we provide allow businesses great or small in having their strategic vision realized.
Fine, Bill. But that has little to do with cheap sandwich makers. Correct. But it has everything to do with the quality of the product we produce for our customers. Recruitment is a process and it should be held to metrics scrutiny just like any other processes in business. The problem is, the metrics most Recruitment organizations continue to cling to are Time to Fill and Cost per Hire: dated, pedestrian measurements that do very little to allow us to be Strategic Professionals in our craft. Break this cycle in 2010 and start now! Strong hires produce 3 times their salary in worth to an organization. Business impact like that needs to be enhanced through effective measurement.
If I measured my sandwich maker purchase based on time and cost factors alone, it would have scored very high. It was a low cost investment that showed up on my door in a couple short days. What happens when we measure the product on quality? Food that tasted like Calcutta ditch water.
I’ve outlined some steps for establishing a Quality of Hire metric into your Recruitment practice:
1) Establish a scorecard to send to your customers to rank the performance of your Recruitment Team. Measuring between 5-10 factors is ideal. My email address is included at the conclusion of this post. Feel free to email me for examples of how this template can be constructed (what to measure, scoring scale, etc). Doing some simple online research / benchmarking on the subject should prove helpful to getting you started as well.
2) Set goals for your team – what results from these scorecards are you striving for?
3) Set up a simple tracking system (Outlook Calendar?) and send the scorecard to your customers 6 months after hire.
4) Monitor the results and adjust at your discretion.
There’s nothing wrong with bringing quality talent into an organization quickly or at a low cost. But “quality talent” needs to be the focus. Take time today to examine how you can build measures of quality into your process and stop delivering burnt sandwiches to your customers – they don’t want them quickly or inexpensively, trust me.
For ideas or questions on establishing a Quality of Hire Measurement into your recruitment process, contact me at bmccabe@fsc.follett.com.
About the author:
Bill McCabe has nearly 15 years of Recruitment experience, the last few in Management. Bill’s current role is Manager, Sourcing and Recruitment for Follett Software Company in McHenry, IL. After employing Social Media into his Integrated Recruitment Strategy, Follett Software was named “One of the Top 50 Employers Using Twitter” by JobHunt.org.
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- Employees as Partners in Innovation
- What are you doing to measure your social recruiting efforts?
- Gonzo Sourcing and the Evolution of Online Social Networks
- 6 Aspects of a Social Media Recruiting Strategy Every Company Should Know
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bill, you make an excellent point. i bought a decent sandwich maker last september– paid over forty dollars for it, and hey, it seemed a good deal. now its acting up (smoosh marks one side, other end cold). the supplier will do NOTHING for me on this. what i have is a useless waffle iron! and they are trying to tell me its past the warranty. after four months? forget these jerks. its impossible to avoid getting cornholed in this screwed-up economy. i'm going with teflon.
Jed; I'm sorry to hear about your sandwich maker. I think what you may have is a problem with the plate alignment.
You see, what happens with these Chinese models is as you use them, the hinges begin to shift toward to rear, pulling the upper plate forward. This creates an out-of-line condition which makes uneven pressure. Take a look from the rear of the machine and you may see this. Give this a read, I've written about it here on my blog:
http://wize.com/reviews/sandwich-maker-reviews
Unfortunately it's all too common. Try rotating the hinges UP (toward you) with one hand while pulling the top plate forward. View the whole apparatus from the side as you press one down.
This should fix you right up. Good Luck!
rotating the hinges? they're BOTH moving and that doesn't help at all. no, that isn't the problem. the problem is the thing DOES NOT GET HOT ENOUGH! and still with the smooshing! one half is completely COLD! how in the hell can they even call this a sandwich maker? screw that!
People often blame the equipment when things don't meet your expectations. But in reality, it is more often the fault of the sandwich than the sandwich maker. Fist of all, you can't use the wrong bread. That screws the whole works. And you've got to watch out for cheese, which will cause it to burn. Don't try to build a mountain in there, because that is how you got the uneven heat.
Keep it simple and don't overbuild. A little planning goes a long way. Enjoy!
OK, now you are showing your true colors. The problem is NOT with your Panini maker, it is you don't know how to operate it. Forget about all this “uneven heat” business. What are you putting in it?
it's NOT a panini maker, it's a sandwich maker. what the hell does it matter what i put in it? the thing DON”T WORK.
If it's not a panini maker, then how in the hell does it have two hinges, horowitz? THATS a panini maker. What are you putting in it?
what the hell do you expect when you order a nine dollar sandwich maker? thats the cheapest model there is, chrissakes. of course its going to suck. THATS WHY ITS NINE DOLLARS CHEAPO.
ITS A SANDWICH MAKER, NOT A PANINI MAKER YOU NITWIT! do you think i don't know what i bought? you people are so snotty you don't even listen to what people say. WTF do you know birdbrain? i'm using this damn thing and i otta know. what do i put in it? yeah bro, listen: sliced honey ham, pickles, mustard, mayo, tomato and ciabatta, thats what i put in it. is that ok with you? i'm the one getting messed over by these idiots. i'm just trying to get some help. hell with you.
have you checked the cord? it could be losing power in one of the coils.
Well, uh, maybe you don't, Jed. You tell me. Can you read? Try picking up the manual and reading it. It should say the words “Panini Maker” on that booklet. If it does, well, I've said it, haven't I? One thing for sure, you will not get good results until you stop treating it like a sandwich maker. If you're such a genius, then you should know that YOU CANNOT PUT CIABATTA IN A PANINI MAKER! Try following instructions and you will get better results. Thats all I'm saying.
Don't blame the equipment when things don't come out. Its probably the fault of the sandwich. Putting Ciabatta won't work. That screws the whole works. Try to build a mountain in there and you'll get the uneven heat.
Keep it simple and don't overbuild. A little planning is what you need, trust me.
hey, i ain't blaming the equipment, i'm blaming the economy. if we don't get this economy straightened out, we are going to have a lot more burnt sandwiches. you can't avoid getting cornholed in this climate! watch everything. take nothing for granted. these jerks will turn you and take you for everything you've got. the garbage they are putting out there in the market is evidence. i paid over forty dollars for that sandwich maker. and it worthless! i've had it with the game.
now theres a burning smell. great. i am not listening to you again. thanks a lot!
now theres a burning smell. great. i am not listening to you again. thanks a lot!