How many times have you said, or hear, “I can’t believe they hired that guy…” We’ve all been connected to a bad hire (or sometimes been that bad hire).

CareerBuilder.com recently asked pollsters Harris Interactive to survey hiring managers about the worst resumes they’ve seen. Some of the interview comments heard and resume statements were quite zany to say the least. Among them, some razor sharp candidates…

·         Specified that availability to work Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays is limited because the weekends are "drinking time."

·         Drew a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and said the car would be a gift to the hiring manager.

·         Listed hobbies that included sitting on a levee at night watching alligators.

·         Explained an arrest record by stating, "We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig.”

I suppose there are worse hires. I once had a client’s employee come to me (13 years ago) with a wad of cash that a customer used to pay (rather than a cheque or Visa) and said, “So, let’s split it.” My client was a charity.

HIRING AN INTRANET CONSULTANT OR MANAGER

In honor of these bright lights and some of our own favorites, I’ve compiled my own fictional list of those potential comments you don’t want to ever hear from a prospective intranet manager or consultant:

1.      “I’ve used the Web and that’s the same as an intranet.”

2.      “It doesn’t’ matter what management thinks, it’s users that count.”

3.      “The intranet is just a communications tool… like a newsletter.”

4.      “You don’t need Sharepoint, my cousin designed the local Hooters site for only $900."

5.      “I think it would be cool to take the Velvet Revolver website concept to the intranet.”

6.      “What’s IBM?”

7.      “What a CMS?”

8.      “Wiki…? Is that the hot receptionist in HR?”

9.      ”I write a lot better if I get a couple of crantinis in me!”

10.  “I personally believe… that U.S. Americans…. And the Iraq, and such…”

I wonder what Alberto Gonzales will say during his next job interview?

For many organizations, an intranet makes a fundamental change in organizational communications, and also, business process. A change management communications program is a requisite for any intranet launch.

“Even for logical change, many people will be offside,” adds Harris, the author of Change Leadership: Inform, Involve, Ignite! “Don’t underestimate the normalcy of “resistance” and find ways to integrate that resistance into change efforts.”

In short, intranet change management becomes an exercise in “selling” or communicating not only the reason and purpose for the change, but especially anticipating and directly addressing the spoken AND unspoken fears (or apathy) of employees.

Read my complete article: Intranet change management