Interviewing and Selecting the Best | ERE Blog Network

Fact or Fiction:Great candidates get lost in cyber space.

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:08:01 PST

Is there really a shortage of talent or do organizations make it so hard for applicants to apply for a job that they just give up? How can we select the best if we never talk to the best?

Picture this: The job candidate finds a job online that is a perfect match to his skill set. The applicant follows the online instructions to apply for the position only to receive an error message indicating that the transaction cannot be completed. The candidate refuses to give up and several clicks later the applicant finds the phone number, fax number and name of someone in HR. The persistent applicant calls the person in HR and leaves a message. The HR person is so busy that she does not have time to return the call. The applicant faxes a copy of his resume and cover letter. Several hours later the applicant calls the person in HR again. This time, as luck would have it, he reaches a voice on the other end of the phone only to find out that she is not the person who is handling the recruitment efforts for that position. She kindly refers the applicant to the person who is doing the hiring for the position. This time the applicant is told that he now needs to email his resume and cover letter to an entirely new email address even though his resume is sitting on the fax machine.

Tell meâ€¦.fact or fiction? Stayed tuned for the answer next week.

Recruiting the Older Worker - Part IV Retention

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:56:01 PST

In summary, hiring older workers and placing them in positions that will be of value to the organization is just the beginning. Motivating and retaining them is the next step. What we have to remember is that a key factor in perpetuating an organization's succcess is providing an employment climate that ignites an employee's intrinsic motivation. However, an organization's employment climate is important to all generations, not just the older worker. So, what does everyone want? Here is one recipe that works for all generations.

-Necessary tools that will enable them to be successful on the job

- Respect whether they have years of experience or just a few

- Recognition, self-actualization and a feeling of belonging

- Work that adds value to the organization

- Being empowered to make decisions that relate to their work

Recruiting the Older Worker - Part III

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 13:47:01 PST

How Does a Company Best Utilize the Older Worker’s Skill Level?

During the past few years the stock market has taken a downward turn several times. The baby boomers that have been approaching retirement during this period of time are now looking at their investments and saying, “I cannot retire.” More importantly, many of them do not want to retire. Why? Well this is the generation that invented the 60-hour work week, found identity in what they did for a living, and vowed never to get old. The question is, “What type of jobs will make these individuals flourish and add value to the bottom-line?”

No one will deny the fact that this generation is one of the most educated generations to date. So, is the business world best served by letting these individuals walk into the shadows without tapping the energy and passion they have for work one more time? I say NO! I do not believe that Wall-Mart, Wendy’s, and McDonald’s can offer the jobs in which their skill level will be utilized to the maximum.

One possible solution is to look at the areas in which older workers have knowledge and expertise and hire them for jobs in which these traits are needed and valued. An example of this comes from a police agency that employs retired officers to handle their property room. These individuals, because of their prior experience, realize the importance of maintaining a chain of custody and keeping their areas neat, organized and accessible. Their job role is quite different now but their backgrounds are invaluable to the organization. Another similar avenue would be to hire older workers to “fill-in” when other workers are sick, on vacation, or leave the organization. In a sense, an organization could create a temporary pool staffed with their own retirees.

Stay tuned for Part IV.....

Recruiting the Older Worker Part II

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:06:01 PST

Should companies actively recruit the older worker?

From where I sit, the answer is a resounding “yes”, for a number of reasons.

First and foremost is the fact that as the “baby boomer” generation reaches retirement, there will simply not be enough workers to replace them; the resulting labor shortage will be huge and must be filled.

Increasingly, this problem is being addressed by the United States as well as other countries in the world including Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. In many cases, the solution is to recruit and/or retain these baby boomers who invented the 60-hour work week. As many of them will say, “We are not done yet.”

The reasons are many but the most prominent are:

They want to work past retirement
They are loyal
They have a wealth of experience
They want to stay active, both physically and mentally
They are more settled and secure

Stay tuned for Part III….

Recruiting the Older Worker - Part 1

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:47:01 PST

When I think of the word “recruitment,' I immediately envision a soon to be college graduate attending a career fair on campus and being courted by a number of corporate recruiters

What about the “older” worker, and by that I mean the baby boomer, who 1) was forced to take an early retirement; 2) has had his/her pension wiped out by a corporate scandal; or 3) wants and needs to work past retirement age because his/her retirement income is insufficient. These individuals have already worked 30-40 years, possess a wealth of knowledge, have proven themselves in the work world, and want to continue to work and contribute to an organization.

Several questions arise from this scenario and bear discussion in the future. Should companies actively recruit the older worker? For what type of jobs? How does a company best utilize the older worker’s skill levels? What will be the cost? How will they fit in?

Part 2 will provide some recommendations.

"Engagement" & Recruitment

Thu, 1 May 2008 13:54:01 PST

In the May 28, 2008 issue of TIME magazine, an article was published about employee engagement. The basic premise is that if you work toward “engaging” employees by welcoming them, letting them know they are valued, asking their opinions, and generally making them feel they are an integral part of the company, they will be happier and more productive which will affect the bottom-line.

This has proven to be the case as multitudes of companies are now utilizing on-boarding to promote employee engagement and reduce turnover. However, when does this “engagement” start?

I believe it begins with the recruitment of potential candidates. Recruitment is not just about telling candidates what your company has to offer. It is also about getting to know the candidates, asking them about themselves, understanding their values and goals and helping them recognize their alignment with the organization’s climate and culture.

Hiring Diverse Candidates

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:19:01 PST

The workforce of today is comprised of business people from multiple generations, various ethnic backgrounds, and different abilities. These individuals are all important to the bottom-line. The question arises: 'What can a company do to proactively seek and retain diverse candidates?'

The answer lies in the organization taking steps to provide a diverse culture for their employees. Because you hire people from different age groups, different ethnicities, and different backgrounds does not mean you are embracing diversity.

A few suggestions:

o Encourage open communication

o Examine growth opportunities for equality

o Reduce bias in performance standards

o Ensure upper management understands and values diversity in the organization

o When problems arise, change the culture, not the people

Finding the Right Candidate

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:37:01 PST

Attracting the right people to your organization is done by being certain that the message you are telling job candidates is consistent with what they will find as an employee. An organization’s culture, a system of shared meaning held by employees that differentiates the organization from other organizations, is the first point in which there should be a match between the candidate and the employer.

The one thing that is imperative is to be certain that your recruitment brand reflects your culture. A recruitment brand succinctly identifies your employment value proposition; “Who are you? What are your values? What do you have to offer employees? How will they be treated?” These are the questions that potential employees want to know. Does your employment brand provide answers to these questions?

Hiring the Best and the Brightest

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:53:01 PST

Turnover continues to increase costs and reduce productivity. One way to reduce costs associated with replacing employees is to hire the right employee the first time around. To make this happen you need to know what you want in an applicant before you start recruiting. Here is how to hire an MVP:

ü Research continues to identify the need for employers and employees to share common values. If the employee cannot buy-in to an organization’s corporate culture the first red flag should be raised.

ü What a candidate is looking for in a job needs to match what is being offered. It is important to take some time in the interview addressing just this issue.

ü Remember that most of the time managers hire candidates based on skills, education and experience and when they fire them it is for behavior. So, hiring a team player that possesses the appropriate behavioral traits for the job is imperative.

ü It is a known fact that employee loyalty looks different than it did 20 years ago. Most employees will have over 27 jobs in their career compared to 4-7 in the baby boomer era. However, job-hoppers, those that stay on a job less than two years, are sure to increase turnover costs.

ü Only hire individuals you trust. During the interview find out if the person will do the right thing when faced with a difficult situation. Ethics are still an important trait!

ü Hire candidates who can do a great job now and have growth potential as well. Building the pipeline for future higher-level positions helps prepare organizations for the future.

Behavioral Interviewing: Hiring the "Right" Employee

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:33:01 PST

I have been involved in hundreds of applicant interviews for many types of jobs. The interview is a significant aspect of the recruitment process and candidates are on their best behavior because they want to ”impress”. But how can you accurately determine if the individual will actually be a strong and suitable fit for your organization?

The hiring decision can have negative or positive consequences. A good decision can provide an employee that will uphold the standards of the organization and become a motivated and productive team member. Conversely, a bad hiring decision can be very costly to the organization. It is estimated, depending upon the source that replacing an employee that quits within the first year of service can cost an organization three (3) times the annual salary of that individual. A bad hiring decision also lowers productivity levels and forces management to spend more time training and counseling.

What managers have learned is that they frequently hire based on skills and education, and terminate employees for their poor behavior. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations focus on hiring candidates that want to embrace the organization’s culture.

One way to accomplish this is a structured behavioral interview. It is an important part of the selection process and plays a critical role in determining the success of a candidate. Based on queries of the applicant’s past and present behavior, the interview helps predict an individual’s future job performance as well as his or her comfort level as a member of the organizational culture. The latter is significant because individuals and organizations are most effective when their respective values, goals, and interests are aligned. Similar attributes between individuals tend to improve communication and camaraderie which affects an employee’s morale and organizational outcomes.

The Mathematics of Turnover

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:01:01 PST

The Mathematics of Turnover

To address the problems of high turnover in a competitive job market many organizations are turning to behavioral surveys and statistical tests to determine a candidate’s readiness to work and ability to be successful in a position. Are you thinking about using some type of statistical test in the selection process? There is substantial evidence that supports the theory that a well-constructed personality assessment survey and/or skill testing can be used in the selection process to predict job performance and retention.

Organizations can spend a tremendous amount of time and money trying to find a test that can help them make a good hiring decision but, frequently, management is not able to determine if the product is a good match for their needs. It is imperative that the individuals evaluating the various behavioral and skill tests understand the use of validity and reliability studies so that an informed decision can be made regarding the purchase of these types of assessment tools. Seeking help with the analysis of the studies would be very beneficial to a human resource team, and would provide a greater opportunity to improve the return on the investment. I would recommend a statistician who can easily provide an analysis of the validity and reliability studies that will help you determine if the product will bring a return on your investment. This type of expertise can be found at your local university.

In Recruiting Competency Rules

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:42:01 PST

When an organization’s vacancy rate is too high, their cost per hire is spiraling and it is taking longer to fill positions, it is time to review the recruitment process to find out if the recruitment team’s sourcing, screening and selection process is working. In an age of extreme competition for qualified staff, many recruiters are challenged to understand what they need to do to attract their share of applicants and reduce the time and cost associated with the process. There are four qualities of recruiting that every recruiter should possess.

Understand the Labor Market

It would be easier to ignore the competition when it comes to recruiting. However, it is more important to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Studying the competition and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an organization creates a greater opportunity for success. Recruiters need to know their organization’s “point of difference.” They need to know why a star performer would prefer their organization. Knowing and acknowledging the competition can set recruiters aside as true professionals and give their organization credibility.

Be a Salesperson

A recruiter is the first point of contact with the job candidate. Remember, a second chance to make a good first impression does not usually happen. Therefore, relationship building is critical. Another vital step is to sell the benefits of the organization. In business, it is said that successful sales begin by providing solutions to a problem. The applicant has a problem in that he or she needs a job. A good recruiter demonstrates not only a solution but a superior solution.

Practice Creative Sourcing

Employment branding and an advertising strategy need to attract candidates that will be successful in an organization. The employment brand needs to exemplify the employer of choice attributes and engage the heart, mind and soul of the audience. It is also important to be certain that the organization’s sourcing and advertising strategy is casting a wide enough net. The new workforce is comprised of individuals from very diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the use of a diversified, multi-media plan is most successful when trying to build a candidate pipeline.

Use Behavioral Interviewing

The interview is frequently the only chance a recruiter has to identify a great candidate and determine if the individual will be successful on the job. In a successful interview the recruiter manages the interview process to collect information about a candidate’s job history, personal characteristics, and previous performance. When recruiters ask a question, they must be prepared to rate the answer and determine if the candidate’s response was appropriate. If they are afraid to ask certain questions for fear of violating someone’s civil or personal rights, then making employment law their passion and finding out how to make it work in the interviewing process is the answer.

Ultimately, recruiters need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their recruitment process and ask themselves tough questions like the following: “Are quality candidates getting lost in the recruitment process? Does my organization consistently hire what is considered to be a fair share of star performers?” The answer to these questions may dictate the need for change in the recruitment process, tactics and philosophy.

Obviously, recruiting is more than just filling vacancies. It is imperative for recruiters to determine if they are proficiently networking, sourcing and selecting job candidates whose emotional fortitude is compatible with that of the open position and their organization’s mission, vision and goals. This can be done by gathering metrics to determine if an organization’s vacancy rate and turnover rate is decreasing; looking at the overall employee performance evaluation scores to determine if the average score is increasing; and conducting surveys to acquire feedback from newly hired employees to identify loopholes in the recruitment process. Finally, it is necessary to track the rate of return for each advertising and networking source to identify not only how many job candidates each source produces, but how many hires are generated from each source. Armed with this information, recruiters will be able to make the necessary changes and improve their recruiting competency.