Smart Choices: How to Hire the Best
Your organization's continued growth and success depend on making smart choices and hiring the best. Today's economy is exploding with talent, allowing you to be selective about the staff you hire. Yet, the crucial step to filling a position is finding the right talent for your organization - someone that has the skills for the job, easily blends with the culture, interacts well with the team and believes in your mission.
In his best seller, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes, "In the good-to-great transformation, people are not your most important asset. The right people are."
To help you learn how to hire the best, it is important to learn about effective hiring and selection skills. Conducting a job interview looks easier than it is. And that's the problem. According to studies based on the employment records of thousands of management and line employees, little or no correlation exists between the positive reports that emerge from the typical job interview and the job performance of the candidates who receive those glowing reports. However, this correlation goes up dramatically whenever interviewing becomes a structured, well-planned process - one that's integrated into an organization's overall staffing practices.
Over the years, I have conducted numerous interviews and trained even more managers on effective interviewing and selection techniques. And I have gone on dozens of interviews. How the interview is conducted tells me a lot about how the company operates and the position.
If you are the one doing the interviewing, effective interviewing and selection needs to be a structured, well-planned process. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Before the interview:
Know what you need. You can easily miss this step because you've got other responsibilities. Determine the key competencies required before you interview. If you are hiring someone in sales, for instance, create questions that will tell you whether the person has good interpersonal and organizational skills.
Advertise the position. Don't just advertise in your local newspaper - cast your net even further!
Look at what works. What personality traits make someone a good fit for your culture? Is your organization laid back or formal? Do people work 9-5 or round the clock? Ask questions that will help you determine whether the candidate will adapt well to your organization's culture.
Schedule multiple interviews. Conduct 15-minute telephone interviews to screen out inappropriate candidates. Have key people, those who will be working with the candidate, interview the top candidates, and ask for their feedback.
During the interview:
Ask the right questions. Dig deep to find out whether a person is more comfortable with details or the big picture; is a self-starter or an order-taker. Create questions that will give you the answers you need. If time management skills are required for instance, you might want to ask, "What is your method for organizing your day?" Compare what each candidate says to determine who is strongest in this area.
Close your mouth and open your ears. Too often interviewers turn an interview into a grocery list of their wants and needs. Ask focused questions and then listen carefully. Take notes.
Go with your gut. . If you did your homework - that is, determined the key job requirements and asked questions that would ascertain the skills required - the hiring decision should be a natural next step. Sometimes, however, you can't put into words why someone is or is not clicking with you. If you aren't sure whether to trust your intuition, delay the decision for a day or two.
Here's a final tip. After conducing all the interviews, I recommend that you use a simple grid to help choose the best candidate. Simply put the names of each candidate horizontally and put the job requirements or key competencies vertically. Then make up a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. Rate each candidate from 1 to 5 on each of the job requirements or competencies. The person with the highest ratings is probably your best choice.
Above all else, consider input from each of the interviewers and trust your collective judgment. Put aside any and all stereotypes and select the best person for the job.
About The Author
Judith Lindenberger MBA has a distinguished career in human resources consulting and is recognized for her innovation and excellence. The Lindenberger Group, LLC provides results-oriented human resources consulting, organization development, customized training workshops and personal career training to help individuals and organizations improve their productivity and performance. The Lindenberger Group is a two-time recipient of The Athena Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Contact them at 609.730.1049 or info@lindenbergergroup.com or www.lindenbergergroup.com
Latest News
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times, United States - Under the deal, the private equity firm’s current management, led by Charles Ayres, will purchase the firm’s most recent fund — a $3.3 billion pool of ... Lehman Said to Weigh Sale of Merchant-Banking Fund to Managers Lehman deal on private equity close: source Lehman to spin out private equity arm: WSJ |
 Reuters | Banks Pare Fed Loans After Increase for Year-End Cash Bloomberg - BlackRock Inc., Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Pacific Investment Management Co. and Wellington Management Co. are managing the purchases. ... US banks rely slightly less on Fed cash Banks borrow more, investment firms less from Fed Commercial Paper Market Rises to Most Since September |
 Boston Globe | Wal-Mart disappoints analysts, Walgreen chops management team Bizjournals.com, NC - (NYSE:WAG) announced plans to offer early retirement and severance programs to some 1000 corporate and field management employees, or 9 percent of those ... Video: Jan 8: Stocks Boosted by Mortgage Deal Wal-Mart Declines After Management Change Retailers report dismal December sales |
Information Builders Partners With Tagetik to Deliver Corporate ... MSNBC - "Customers often require two solutions, an executive dashboard and an operational system to manage their performance management requirements," said Gerald ... |
 WNCT | Walgreen will cut 1000 management jobs in 2009 The Associated Press - NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said Thursday it will cut 1000 jobs by mid-year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a ... Walgreen to cut about 1000 corporate and field management jobs Walgreens Announces Reduction in Corporate and Field Management ... Walgreens to cut 1000 salaried posts |
Z-Wave Alliance Showcases Brand-New Energy Management, Home ... MSNBC - Alliance member companies will showcase for the first time new, affordable energy management, home security and home control solutions in the Alliance booth ... |
Uptown men's shelter will stay open under new management Chicago Tribune, United States - Johnson declined to elaborate on the funding and management changes, but said, "We are very satisfied with the outcome of what has happened. ... |
Brookfield Asset Management 2008 Year End Conference Call ... MSNBC - You are invited to participate in Brookfield Asset Management's 2008 Year End Conference Call & Webcast on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:00 am (ET) to ... Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP 2008 Year End Conference ... |
 Times Online | Gary Berntsen Thinks CIA Needs 'Leadership Not Management' FOXNews - CIA COVERT OFFICER : Actually, we need leadership, not management at CIA. That person who's going to be in charge of CIA is in charge of our fight, ... Video: Analyst Weighs in on Obama's CIA Pick Obama's intel picks short on direct experience Obama Is Under Fire Over Panetta Selection |
 New York Times | Microsoft Touts Power Management in Windows 7 Redmond Channel Partner, CA - Improved power management got briefly mentioned among the expected benefits of Windows 7 on Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show. ... Hacking Windows 7 beta problems Microsoft releases Windows Server 2008 R2 beta Windows 7 Server Beta – Exclusively 64-bit to Support 256 Logical ... |
Resources
-
AdWords | Google AdWords | 21 Ways to Maximize ROI by Andrew Goodman
Get the original Google AdWords handbook by Andrew Goodman. This 155-page e-book is packed with advanced tips to help you maximize your AdWords campaigns. Download and get free December 2005 update.
-
Reservation software for Hotels, Motels, Bed and breakfast
Reservation software for Hotels, Motels, Bed and breakfast
-
Restaurant Checklists: restaurant menu design, cafe training, business plans, restaurant marketing a
Full package of restaurant information including restaurant menu design, training, restaurant business plans, restaurant marketing and Management forms and templates
-
Castlemelody.com: Web design and creative design of graphics
Web design with content Management system for dynamic and flexible websites.
-
...MySoftwareTemplates.com high-quality Microsoft Word templates for Software
Development, Proposal
Write successful Proposals, White Papers, Case Studies with slick templates, checklist and forms.
-
Living Within Your Means - The Easy Way!
"
-
PARENTING TOOLS to design the family of your dreams! What does your dream family look like?
Powerful tools for parenting, anger Management, and creative blocks!
-
Productivity. Improve business productivity through work measurement and method study.
Set of resources to improve worker, workplace and office productivity. Learn to measure productivity, calculate a productivity index and construct a total factor productivity index. Resources include team productivity and employee productivity.
-
Construction Information Services - Construction Management
Construction Information Services include Construction Management ebooks - Construction Software - Articles - Firm directories - Forecasting and Trends of the building industry
-
Landlord Property Management Rental Guide
Looking to manage your own rental property? Use our beginners guide for landlords and rental property investors!