We’re looking forward to introducing you to Beth Smith. Check out our conversation below.
Beth, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity is the most important for me. It is so important, in fact, that it is one of our core values at A-list. Our core values spell out the acronym A-list: Authentic, leadership, integrity, satisfaction and teamwork.) I believe that you can have intelligence and energy without integrity. You can’t have integrity without intelligence or energy. We define Integrity as doing the right thing when no one is watching, and that requires a conscious decision/intelligence to choose the right path, even when it is hard. Doing the right thing requires energy, because while it is simple to choose the right path, it is never easy.
Choosing to act with integrity, creates authentic leadership which then creates satisfaction and teamwork. Integrity is the foundation upon which our company is built.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
At A-list Interviews, we help companies ‘find the right person the first time’. We have a 3-interview process that we teach our clients so that they hire great employees. After conducting over 20,000 interviews, we have a 91% retention rate for employees after 1 year of employment. I made a horrifically bad hire in my first business, and I found myself in deep trouble with the Boulder Police Department, who told me in no uncertain terms that I had “to learn how to hire better.” I took them seriously.
Fast forward, I conduct interviews in front of my clients to teach them what to look for and why, which is what distinctly separates A-list from other recruiters. According to John Gorton, President of First National Bank and Trust, “Beth grabs your attention and won’t let go.”
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
In keeping with the integrity theme, a lack of integrity breaks bonds with people. Integrity restores them. For example, when you make a mistake, owning up to that mistake in an honorable way, while initially breaking the bond, can build it stronger. People really respond to someone owning their mistakes, and most people don’t do it or are afraid to do it. When I made my bad hire, I was able to restore my bond with the police officers and city officials that I worked with by owning the mistake and learning from it. I am extremely proud of the work that I did.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been several times that I have almost given up! I have looked for jobs numerous times in my career, thinking that I was done with this work. Ironically speaking, looking for jobs actually re-enforced my commitment to my work. The struggle that employers and candidates have in the job search is atrocious. It is my job/my duty/my calling to make it easier.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lies from my industry are these: 1) that someone else can hire for you. NO ONE can hire for you. You must participate in the process. For CEO’s, your job is to hire your direct hires, then train your subordinates on how you want hiring to occur. 2) that you know how to interview candidates. You don’t. I thought I knew how also, and my bad hire made national news! The good news is that learning to hire correctly is a skill set, and it can be taught and learned.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
How do I know when I am out of my depth? I don’t. Sigh… I march into every opportunity on a white horse and think I can fix it. I do think that mindset is the only way to begin work with a new client. And, there are clients that I can’t help in the way that we all wanted. Also though, I have been told that whether the outcome was what we all wanted, they still learned a ton from me. For example, I hired a woman who turned in her notice 5 months after starting. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and our candidate promptly moved back to her home state to care for her mom. This was before COVID, so remote work wasn’t a possibility. I talked to my client, and he said “Beth, obviously, we wanted to keep her. She did more work in 5 months than the last one did in 3 years. We are SO glad that we hired her!”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.a-listinterviews.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethsmithalistinterviews
- Twitter: A-list Interviews
- Youtube: @a-listinterviews2753
Image Credits
Yvonne Min
