Best Practices_ Managing People_ Secrets to Leading for New Managers - Barry Silverstein [6]
—Tom Peters
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch emphasizes the importance of three qualities above all others in employees: integrity, intelligence, and maturity. In considering candidates for the job, pay attention to these valuable underlying characteristics. They will stand you in good stead as you meet the challenges of the workplace together.
The Screening Process
In larger organizations, candidates’ applications and resumes might initially be screened by recruiters working either for your company’s human resources (HR) department or for an outside firm. It’s often a good idea to keep this screening fairly loose the first time around so that you can review as many candidates as possible. If appropriate, consider internal candidates for the position. Review their qualifications objectively.
“Every staffing need must begin with a clear assessment of the work: Exactly which tasks, responsibilities, and projects need to be done? Once you have a clear picture of the work itself, the remaining questions are obvious: Who is the best person for this job? Where will you find the people you need?”
—Bruce Tulgan,
author of Winning the Talent Wars
Applications and resumes are your best guide to experience and qualifications. As an indicator of how well a candidate communicates, the cover letter accompanying a resume is equally important. It can also give you an idea of the individual’s personality, style, motivation, and attention to detail.
Use a consistent method for ranking the candidates. One common approach is to sort prospects’ applications into three separate groups: one for strong candidates, one for likely candidates, and one for candidates who are obviously not qualified.
Plan B
THE BAD HIRE
You did all the right things and selected the best candidate. But after the person has been in the job for a few months, you have the awful realization that he or she is a bad fit.
If others agree with your assessment, you’ve given the person every chance to improve, and you feel there is no way you can salvage the situation, it’s best to let the individual go rather than prolong the problem.
Be specific when you explain why it isn’t working out and be generous with severance.
Then cut your losses and move on.
Dos & Don’ts
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Know what you want to ask—and know which topics are off limits.
Don’t ask about the candidate’s age, race, or ethnicity.
Don’t ask about marital or family status.
Don’t ask about living or child-care arrangements.
Don’t ask about physical or mental disabilities.
Don’t ask about someone’s credit history or financial situation.
Do ask how prior positions have prepared her for this job.
Do explore what she hopes to bring to the company.
Do find out what his experience has taught him about working with other people.
Do probe his reasons for leaving his current position.
Do ask how she dealt with a challenge at a previous position and what she learned.
Do ask about problems she had with co-workers in the past and how they were resolved.
Do ask if the candidate has questions for you.
The strong resumes can then be arranged in order of your interest in the candidates, or divided into several subgroups based on your assessment of the candidates’ particular strengths.
The Interview
Interview your strongest candidates personally. Have a few other people interview the strong candidates as well. For the candidates, it is usually less intimidating to meet with interviewers individually. At least one of the interviewers should be in the same work group or hold a position similar to the job for which you are hiring.
Asking the right questions during an interview will give you the input you need to make an informed decision. Does the candidate seem genuine? Does she admit to mistakes? How does he discuss his life—is he candid yet appropriately discreet? Is she intellectually curious? Does she seem knowledgeable not only about her field but also about a range of topics? Finally, does your gut tell you he will be able to handle stress? Does he