by Beth | Sep 27, 2011 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
I have so many people say to me before they are clients “Beth, you should have seen this person in the interview! They were amazing! And then I had to fire them two weeks later. What did I miss?” The answer to this burning question is that many hiring managers and executives do not realize the power of the interviewer.
When interviewing a candidate, it is really important to remember that you are in charge of the entire experience. Usually, the interviewer controls the time of the interview, the date, the day of the week, the location, the agenda, the questions, the structure, the process, who is on the team, the outcome of the decision to hire and whether or not the candidate will ever find out if they got the job. In all aspects, the interviewer is in total control – and the candidate knows it. This type of “power” over another adult rarely occurs in our society, and when it does, there is usually extreme violence involved. As a result of lack of exposure to this type of control, most of us do not realize this dynamic in an interview. How can we? We have no experience with it.
This means that the candidate, who is nervous, anxious, worried and very vulnerable, will do whatever it takes in order to please the interviewer and secure the position. Once the candidate gets the job, this power difference is dramatically reduced. The new employee becomes comfortable and relaxed in the new work environment, becoming their true selves, and sometimes with disastrous results.
Because I interview as a profession, I understand this dynamic. I teach my clients about this power difference and what they can do to reduce it. For example, at the end of each interview I inform our candidates about when they can expect an answer from us about our decision. I then follow through and give them the decision as promised. I inform them of the agenda for the interview. I give them options for interviewing times. When they show up 15 minutes early, I am ready to begin their interview 15 minutes early. I have their resume and cover letter in front of me for reference, but my real purpose is to actively listen to them. I do not withhold information from my candidates, especially when the answer is “no.”
In order to see your candidates’ true selves and determine if they are the amazing employee you are seeking, give some power back to them during in the interview process. Treat them with the respect and dignity that they deserve and they in kind will perform when hired, powerfully.
by Beth | Sep 21, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
I have been asked recently by hiring managers and recruiters about my “active to passive ratio”. Active to passive ratio reflects the number of people interviewed who are currently unemployed versus employed. An active candidate is currently unemployed and actively looking for a position. A passive candidate is currently employed, relatively satisfied with their current position and may or may not be interested in a new position. My question to them was why is that important?
Some employers are specifically not hiring people because they are unemployed. They believe that all of the unemployed people out there are unqualified candidates. The thought process is that if this person lost their job, then they must have been underperforming. As a hiring specialist, I see an amazing amount of qualified applicants in both categories. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 2 million people quit their jobs in April 2010, the highest amount in over a year. Are they unqualified also?
Judging an entire group of people based on one qualification is called a bias or a prejudice, and not only is it wrong, but it simply misses the whole point. You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t judge a person’s effectiveness by their employment status.
by Beth | Sep 20, 2011 | Employee Hiring
My passion for interviewing for A-list candidates was born from a horrible hiring mistake that I made. My first business required that I hire a manager to help run the day to day activities. I chose the wrong person and the mistake almost cost me my business. I began to search for people who could really teach me how to interview for the best people. I was shocked to learn that interviewing techniques are really not taught in our business schools. Not one of the top ten MBA programs in the country has a dedicated class on how to effectively select top talent.
I then began to think that the question should be, “HOW do we teach interviewing?” Here’s why: The most effective way to teach interviewing is in the room with the hiring manager and the candidate. I can speak to the intricacies and subtleties of interviewing, but it really doesn’t sink in until you see it, practice it and then integrate it into your own style.
The industry likes to discuss traditional versus behavioral interviewing techniques to screen for the best candidates. My argument with these techniques is that, at best, these styles are only 55% accurate in measuring for the best candidate. And rarely do you find a provider who really teaches the technique. Sure you can find the information in a book, but the nuances that people bring to the table when interviewing are so vast that reading the material in a book will only get you half way to your goal. There are also a few classes in the market place that can give you some of the basics around effective interviewing, but nothing replaces hands-on learning.
When someone tells you that they teach interviewing skills, the first question should be “How?” The next question should be “Are you in the room with me when I am interviewing?” Invest in your business by truly learning how to find the A-list candidates that fit into your culture and has the level of integrity needed to truly shine for your company.
by Beth | Sep 14, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
When interviewing for various positions within your organization, the real question you are often asking is “Does this person have integrity?” The interview process between an administrative assistant and Executive Director is exactly the same. I have assisted my clients with interviewing for both positions using the same set of initial questions in order to truly determine this first critical job requirement. A good employee will be dependable and consistent, fulfilling their commitments to the position. A great employee will actually have your back as well, which means when you need to have a task accomplished in your business, you can count on them to get it done.
This integrity philosophy is the basis for A-list Interviews 91% success rate when placing a candidate. While the skill sets of positions within your company may be vastly different, one thing remains the same: the candidate that is hired is the one that will do the job to the best of his/her ability and beyond.
by Beth | Sep 8, 2011 | Interview Techniques, Selecting Good Candidates
In every single interview process that I have ever facilitated, there is always a point where my client turns to me and says “I might hate this process.” I always warn them before we begin that at some point during the process, they will get frustrated. This usually happens when we have been working together through a series of interviews and my clients raise the bar on the people that they wish to hire, which is the goal behind A-list Interviews. There is a delay between this moment and when the higher caliber people begin to show up, causing the employer to wonder if the A-list candidate will ever appear. In other words, they begin to doubt. They doubt the process, themselves, their work, and the candidates.
I love this point in the training and coaching process. We are literally in the darkness that lives before the light, and their A-list person is right around the corner. My clients have all said in one way or another “I doubt we are going to find this person.” I say “doubt the doubt.” If you are doubtful anyway, then doubt the doubt, not the process. Your ideal candidate is about to walk right through the door. It is miraculous!!!
by Beth | Sep 8, 2011 | Employee Hiring, Selecting Good Candidates
One of my clients has been expressing lots of frustration over her interview process. When she shared her aggravation, I listened to her concerns and responded that the search was going marvelously! She looked at me like I was nuts.
I am so certain of our progress because she is learning and thriving throughout the process. She is raising the bar for the people that she desires to hire. She is also beginning to make great decisions regarding the people that she chooses for her business. I responded to her look by letting her know that she would not need me for much longer because she is becoming a phenomenal interviewer. She said excitedly. “Oh! You’re like Nanny McPhee who said “When you need me, but do not want me, I must stay. When you want me, but do not need me, I must go.”
My mission for A-list Interviews is to teach people how to successfully choose great people for their teams. It can be a bit frustrating and trying, but once this is accomplished, my clients have their own magic to tap into. I then confidently move on to the next employer or hiring manager in need.
Nanny McPhee and I both walk in to stressful situations and leave behind a peaceful, productive environment. Are you ready?
