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“Every minute devoted to putting the proper person in the proper slot is worth weeks of time later.”

—Colman Mockler,

former CEO of Gillette

(1930–1991)

It’s a good plan to have everyone who interviews a candidate ask the same basic questions about prior experience, job qualifications, and management ability so you can directly compare the answers.

Make sure you know which questions are off limits for legal reasons. If a question does not relate directly to the individual’s performance, do not ask it.

Finally, find out if the candidate has questions for you. Smart questions from a candidate are as important a consideration as good answers to your questions.

Watch the candidate carefully as he or she speaks. Observe body language and evaluate the individual’s ability to think.

After the interview, write down your impressions right away. Make sure to include your gut reaction—your feeling about your chemistry or rapport with the candidate—as well as your impression of the individual’s experience and qualifications. Do you think this person would fit in? Would he or she work well with you, your group, and your company?

POWER POINTS

INTERVIEWING THAT WORKS

When interviewing candidates, an orderly process is most effective:

Rank candidates.

Decide who will do interviews.

Prepare a list of initial questions and possible follow-ups.

Cover all relevant topics during the interview.

Reflect on your interview and gut reactions to the candidate.

Compare candidates’ answers with your interview team.

First impressions may be lasting, but it’s a good idea to regroup with the other interviewers and consider their thoughts about each candidate. Bring finalists back for second interviews to ask additional questions, or to explore experiences and qualifications that seem especially pertinent to the job.

The Final Decision

A number of factors enter into a final hiring decision—the candidate’s experience, qualifications, references, and salary requirements as well as your and your fellow interviewers’ impressions about the candidate’s suitability for the position and fit with your team.

It’s important to have a solid sense that you have found the right person for the position before you make a job offer. You and your company will be making a significant investment in this individual. You want it to pay off.

TRAINING

An old adage in business: There is never enough time to do it right—but there’s always time to do it over. One of the most common reasons that tasks are mishandled the first time around is the employee’s lack of proper training.

Managers who appreciate the importance of training display a love of learning and function as role models for their staff. Periodically, they take courses to improve their own skills, and they encourage their employees to do the same. Managers who train and coach others derive satisfaction from teaching and mentoring while at the same time improving their own communication skills. Staff training takes place in various ways—in new-employee orientation sessions, in formal training courses, and via on-the-job training, as appropriate.

A formal assessment can help determine the type of training that would be most useful for your staff. Typically conducted by human resource professionals, the assessment may include discussions with management, analysis of the work done successfully by employees in similar positions, and employee surveys and focus groups. Using the results of the assessment, you can design a training program to improve individual employee skills that will contribute to overall productivity.

POWER POINTS

KEEP EMPLOYEES LEARNING

Giving your staff the knowledge they need to do a better job pays off. You can provide this enrichment in several ways:

Formal introductory and refresher courses

Remedial courses for employees lacking a specific skill

Preparation for responsibilities in leadership and management

Cross-training opportunities

Orientation for New Employees

New-employee orientations have two parts: first,