Hiring the Best Ch 16

Hiring the Best: Key Concepts

• Successful hiring impacts job and career success: Effective hiring is crucial when leadership's primary responsibility is managing others.
• Understanding job deliverables is critical: A clear definition of responsibilities, anticipated problems, and expected results (deliverables) is essential for identifying suitable candidates and relevant interview questions.
• All jobs involve problem-solving: Every job, at its core, contributes to a company's overarching goals (profit, cost savings, productivity).
• Matching job needs to candidate skills: Link job responsibilities and deliverables to essential transferable skills and professional values.
• Motivation is key: A candidate's commitment and eagerness to excel at challenges is critical to success.
• Manageability and teamwork are essential: A good hire requires consideration for how well a candidate interacts with the team, and their capacity to work effectively in a group. This is analyzed after confirming ability and motivation.
• Efficient screening process: Use resume screening, phone interviews, and delegated tasks to filter candidates. Target in-person interviews for high-potential candidates. Objective and business-oriented interviews prioritize ability.
• Sequential evaluation: Assess ability, motivation, then team spirit and manageability. Drop candidates if they are unable to perform the job's core tasks.
• Second and third interviews: If necessary, conduct additional interviews with top candidates, and potentially get second opinions.
• Diverse teams mirror diverse customers: Create a balanced team, considering gender, race, age, and experience to better reflect and serve customers.
• Weighing top contenders: To compare highly qualified candidates, consider their enthusiasm for the job, interview style and how they view the job when interviewing. The person more enthusiastic is typically a better choice.
• Be clear about offer expectations: Clarify performance expectations during the final interview to build candidate confidence.
• Salary negotiation: Incorporate compensation expectations when making an offer.
• Background and reference checks are crucial: Verify candidate information, and respect their privacy; this requires written approval. Reference checks should prioritize performance and manageability.
• Prepare reference questions: Tailor questions to the specific responsibilities, technical skills, and transferable skills required for the job role. Example questions include assessing skills, motivation, teamwork, past management challenges & experiences, etc.
• Hiring effectively leads to successful management: Hiring the right people lays a solid foundation for effective future management.

Interviewing Top Candidates

• Evaluate candidate enthusiasm: Assess candidate enthusiasm beyond skill assessments. An energized discussion shows deeper interest.
• Consider interview approach: The process should be collaborative and demonstrate shared interest to unearth enthusiasm and motivation.

Offer and Consideration

• Respect candidate motivation: Evaluate candidate motivation for the job. Understand why a candidate is interested, as this gives insight into future commitment.
• Review offer details carefully: Reiterate expectations, responsibilities and requirements during the final interview; provide clear guidance of expectations.

Final Considerations

• Follow company guidelines: Always adhere to company policies.
• Respect individual privacy: Uphold privacy rights during background checks ensuring legal compliance.