by Beth | Nov 9, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
When entrepreneurs first begin their businesses, they often rely on what I call “The Friends & Family Plan”. One client even confessed that he used to get on the phone and call his friends to find out who needs a job and determine how quickly they could start. While he readily admitted that this process was ineffective, he simply did not know how else to hire.
As the business begins to grow, it is critical to evolve out of the thinking that just because you know an individual, does not mean that they will work well with you or your company. While the modicum of trust may ease your mind temporarily, this path often leads to a mis-hire, decreased productivity and a destroyed friendship.
Learning and practicing a well defined interview process in lieu of a friends and family call will contribute to your bottom line and save a few relationships along the way.
by Beth | Nov 4, 2011 | Adventures in Interviewing, Selecting Good Candidates
I recently interviewed a candidate who sat across from me with his seat pushed back from the table and a foot on the seat of the chair. During the interview, he told me that his current boss was “annoying, but it is probably because I slept with her.”
The inappropriate disclosure of his sexual activities coupled with overly casual body language was enough to tell me he was not our guy. Don’t underestimate what body language can tell you.
by Beth | Oct 20, 2011 | Interview Process, Selecting Good Candidates
In the movie “Up in the Air,” George Clooney remarks “I stereotype. It’s faster.” It may be faster, but it is not 100% predictable. In other words, you cannot predict an employee’s success in their position by stereotyping. I work with business owners and hiring managers every day who use stereotypes to predict employees’ success or failure. I say that for every stereotype that exists and is used to predict behavior, I have a success story to disprove it.
So, which interview method works best to accurately predict the likelihood of success in an employee? The answer may surprise you: just listen.
Don’t talk. Don’t think about the next question you are going to ask. Don’t look at your phone. Don’t clean your finger nails. Don’t tie your shoe. Sit. Focus. And listen. Really hear, observe and absorb what your candidate is telling you. Be entirely present to the moment, and the candidate will tell you if they will be successful in the position with their answers.
by Beth | Oct 19, 2011 | Selecting Good Candidates
Christopher Robin: “There now. Did I get your tail back on properly, Eeyore? “
Eeyore: “No matter. I’ll most likely lose it again anyway.”
Last month, I interviewed a candidate who was world weary, tired and unhappy. This person had been out of work for a long time in an industry that is rapidly changing. The overall impact was the “Eeyore Effect.”
Christopher Robin and his gang are forever reaching out to help their friend re-attach his tail, but Eeyore shows no appreciation for their efforts. Not only does he not thank Christopher Robin for helping him, he criticizes Christopher’s work. He also puts forth no effort to permanently find a solution to his tail falling off. Has he thought about super glue? Stitches? Duck Tape?
In other words, Eeyore is an energy drainer. He is hard to be around. He has very little enthusiasm for his life, his work, his tail or even his friends. Can you imagine as if you had an employee like this?
Watch for the “Eeyore Effect” while you are interviewing, even if when faced with the world weary, tired and unhappy.
(Thanks to Michelle Barnes for “The Eeyore Effect”)
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.
