Month: May 2015

You care about your work, sometimes the detriment of your personal life, family life and health. So when it comes to hiring someone, what do you expect from them beyond skills competence?

The hiring process should be focused upon hiring someone who is able to perform the responsibilities of the job while fitting in to a firm’s culture.

Too often, managers become derailed by emotions and do not create systems that allow them to learn from their mistakes.

1. Do Not Hire in Your Own Image. In the old movie, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin fought Dr. Evil who had a clone made of himself name Mini-Me. Mini-Me is Dr. Evil but one eighth the size and played by Verne Troyer.

Too many managers and business owners try to hire “in their own image” only to find the person is not like themselves and then feel disappointed. Try to hire someone who complements you, rather than replicate you.

2. Be Clear When You Discuss Your Expectations With New Hires. Again, beyond skills competency, you need to be clear and accurate about your expectations of performance and effort. Otherwise, how will they know what you want from them?

3. Make The Time to Interview. I know you are busy but no one starts working for you unless you interview them, right? Standardize initial questions to ascertain their skills and do the first interview by telephone, rather than in-person. Complete the interview in 30 minutes and, if you like them, invite them to an interview at your offices, arranging it for as soon as you can.

4. Standardize All of Your Initial Interviews. As much as you may want to like the new hire, it is important to insure that they meet your skills requirements. Determine specific basic questions that you can ask in order to insure they meet your needs.

5. Make Time for Them to Ask You Questions. At the end of each interview, shift the energy in the room by saying something like, “Thanks for allowing me to ask you a lot of questions. As I’m sure you can understand, it’s important for us to hire someone with the right knowledge who fits in with our culture. I’m sure it’s important for you to join a firm where you and your experience are appreciated, too. What would you like to know about us and about the job?”

6. Check References. As much as you want to check the primary references that are offered, try to ask one of them is they could recommend someone who also knows the candidate’s work who you could speak with. These secondary references are often very revealing becaise they have not been coached about what to say.

7. Create a Fact Sheet for Everyone You Interview. After a while, it will be easy to confuse job applicants. Complete the form as you interview and complete it right afterwards and attach it to their resume. These fresh thoughts and observations will help you remember candidates and make a good decision. It will also allow you to demonstrate how you interviewed so that you can replicate the process for the next person you hired if this hire was successful and correct it if it wasn’t.

8. Provide Useful and Timely Feedback. The feedback that the applicant is “too light,” is useless without the details of where their experience was inadequate.

Standardizing your hiring methodology will help minimize mistakes, track your process as you monitor your new employee’s success or failure, and help preclude bias in your decision-making.