Try to master the six points I’ve made.
- Don’t be distracted by appearances. Substance should be your most important benchmark for hiring
He or she arrives and they are treated like a rock star. They are good looking and have a great wardrobe. Their credentials speak for themselves. You’ve Googled the word “success” in your industry and their picture is the top response.
If you think I’m kidding, I’m not. People are too readily influenced by unimportant qualities such as appearance to the point where they do not investigate the individual’s credentials adequately. The questions asked are easier. They are given “a pass.”
It is important to scratch below the surface and get into the muck of the individual’s experience to see if there is something worthwhile there.
An early lesson I learned before becoming The Big Game Hunter was to ask simple open ended questions early in the interview, listen and then become progressively more pointed with my questions.
For example, I might start with the usual soft question of, “Tell me about yourself and what you’ve been doing professionally?” Eventually, I might progress to, “You say you increased sales by 42%. How much of that would you attribute to a better product offering for your firm and how much for you?”
“You increased your sales by 42%. How much did your costs increase during that time?”
“What might you have done differently that could have improved them to 46%”
“Everyone makes mistakes. Tell me about a professional mistake you’ve made and what you learned from it.”
And I’ll ask detailed questions based upon their answers.
- Make sure you’ve decided what someone really needs to know and how you will measure for it. Communicate what is needed to the search firm, agency or recruiter.
It is fascinating to read some job descriptions. They go on for pages and spell out in incredible detail what is being looked for. Then, following an interview, when I ask the candidate what was asked and what was explored, I hear about questions that don’t in any way relate to the position description. As a result the search goes on far longer than it need to with suitable consequences to all concerned.
Try to identify the four or five key points or experiences your new hire must have in order to stand a chance of being successful and then, ASK QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE THE SKILLS OF THE PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS.
Communicate what you want to the search firms, recruiters or agencies you’re working with and how the requirements and your thinking evolve. Recruiters are incapable o mind reading. You’ve hired them to help you hire someone. Tell them what you want and they’ll find it for you more quickly than if they have to piece things out based upon the information you share when you reject someone (BTW, the person is never “too light.” Tell them where their skills or experience was deficient).
- Make sure everyone who is part of the hiring process understands their role and what they are there to determine.
It seems peculiar for the programmer to reject the project manager for their management experience yet it happens all the time. It is also odd to have the programmer ask esoteric questions, interviewing by the seat of their pants. Insure tat everyone knows their role I the process and what they are there to evaluate.
- Put an end to wishful thinking
If a person has only worked in temp jobs or as a consultant, it is probably not their fault that they have worked at a lot of companies. Sometimes, layoffs occurred. Sometimes, projects were abruptly cancelled.
Many times, though, if you investigate, you’ll find that the person plays the employee version of “My way or I take the highway.” As skilled as they are, you can’t fix them.
- Be prepared to answer one question
When you are about to extend an offer to someone, answer this question:
Why does this person fit my job better than anyone else I’ve met?
Compare your answer with your “Must have” list and your preferences.
- Correct mistakes quickly.
The biggest mistake you can make is one you don’t fix. Putting your head in the ground and praying for a miracle will lead to both you and your employee being shown the door. Correct your mistakes quickly. Remember it is YOUR MISTAKE, not the employees. Arrange for a kind severance. Do not blame them or the search firm for your hiring misjudgment.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2007 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
If you have a question that you would like me to answer, email it to me at: thebiggamehunter@gmail.com
To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, search for openings that The Big Game Hunter is working on, to use Jeff’s free meta job lead search engine, Job Search Universe, to learn about his VIP program, or to subscribe to Jeff’s free job hunting ezine, “Head Hunt Your Next Job, go to http://www.jeffaltman.com. Job Search Universe is also available at www.jobsearchuniverse.com To add your firm’s career page to “The Universe” email the url to jobsearchuniverse@gmail.com.
For Jeff’s free recruiting ezine, NaturalSelection Ezine, to help human resources professionals, managers and business owners make even better hiring decisions, ,subscribe at www.naturalselectionezine.com .
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
