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Looking For Love In All The Right Places: How To Recruit Quality Candidates
The difference between a diamond and a lump of coal is derived from generous applications of time, pressure and money. This adage applies to recruiting a qualified candidate as well as to mining. But many entrepreneurs skimp on those three essential elements. They provide only meager amounts of time, pressure and money-they settle for "coal" instead of prospecting for diamonds. And, as part of this omission, they fail to manage the recruitment process-from conducting telephone screening interviews and checking references, through managing the on-site interview and moving to a final offer.
Investing Your Time Wisely
The time organizations invest in recruiting is frequently the time of the owner, principal or CEO. Although you might be able to delegate the hiring of lower-level clerical or service workers, a significant percentage of recruiting needs to be overseen by top management. This is especially true if you're hiring a high-profile manager or executive to oversee a turnaround or launch a new product line. In fact, many savvy executives even interview candidates for such pivotal or highly visible positions as receptionist, telemarketer, or customer service rep. Why? Because these people safeguard an organization's image and reputation.
All too often entrepreneurs delegate such seemingly routine tasks as developing job descriptions, screening resumes, and conducting screening or on-site interviews to subordinates. As a principal or owner, you'll want to get involved in the recruitment process without becoming overwhelmed by it. While you can't participate in every interview, you should take time to analyze your organization's short- and long-term personnel needs, determine how a position fits those needs, and develop-or at least critique-position specifications, job descriptions, and candidate profiles.
Getting involved in recruitment gives you the chance to assess such "sales features" as your geographic location, your industry's status and growth potential, and the financial and promotional opportunities of the position. And you can reflect on the attitudes, beliefs, values, and personality characteristics needed for success in your organization. Realistically, you can't screen or interview every candidate at every level. But you can develop and orchestrate a recruitment process that gets you the candidates you need.
Putting on the Pressure
Pressure doesn't mean coercion or strong-arm tactics. It means keeping the process moving by developing deadlines for each stage of the recruitment process-specifically, for the following schedule of activities:
- Developing position specifications, job descriptions, and candidate profiles.
- Writing or placing ads or position listings
- Completing networking by telephone and by mail
- Soliciting resumes from networked sources
- Screening resumes according to criteria in each candidate profile
- Telephone screening interviews with candidates and spouses
- Setting appointments for and conducting on-site interviews
- Telephone reference checking
- Extending the offer
All too often, executives flounder for months with no timetable. Or they invest too much time in just one phase of the recruitment process-soliciting resumes, for example. When reality finally sets in and they realize they're just two weeks away from their need-to-hire deadline, they run seven candidates through a marathon of interviews that exhausts both the candidates and the staff. Evaluation and comparison of candidates are rushed and haphazard, and the result is a faulty shoot-from the hip decision. If more time had been built into the process and the deadlines adhered to, there would have been more time to reflect on each candidate's qualifications or, if needed, to interview additional candidates.
Anteing Up the Cash
Quality usually commands a premium. Even in today's highly competitive job market, it's rare to find highly qualified candidates at bargain basement prices. In many cases, the most qualified candidates already make above-average salaries and operate with such high professional commitment that they scarcely have time to engage in a traditional job search. In our society, money is a relatively accurate indicator of professional or career worth. A barely adequate salary can attract a barely adequate candidate; predictably, it won't likely buy you an outstanding one.
Evaluating the Job
If you apply broad guidelines or easy generalizations to your recruitment effort, you'll come up short. Instead of assuming, "In this market, we ought to be able to get someone really good for $65,000." By evaluating the job according to three criteria-location, position, and salary-you can predict the caliber of person you'll be able to hire and the length of the recruitment process.
Some elements of the position are fixed. Like height and shoe size, organizational location is something you cannot control. Assume your plant is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. You're in the high-growth field of medical research. Because the company is profitable, you can afford to hire a vice-president of sales at a base salary of $175,000 with total compensation of $250,000. Given the desirable location, the high-profile position in a growth industry, and the generous compensation, you are likely to have your pick of candidates.
But here's a different scenario. Your organization is situated in muggy, industrial Tidebone, Louisiana, and does most of its business in that region. Enticing a candidate to leave a job in scenic Colorado Springs is going to be difficult. Similarly, if you need a manager to run your turkey processing plant, there's little you can do about the position. You can, however, enhance the salary so that strong candidates view Tidebone and turkey processing in another light. Your organization may have to "buy" a qualified candidate. Unfortunately, however, many organizations settle for an acceptable candidate when, for $3,000 to $4,000 more, they could have attracted an exceptional one.
If an opportunity ranks relatively low, lacking in location, position, and money, you have two options: you can hire a lightweight-someone perhaps on the way up--with an adequate technical background but short on experience. Or you can hire a retread-someone perhaps on the way down-with years of experience but lacking the drive and enthusiasm you had h
Still, every recruitment channel carries a price tag. Networking over the telephone with five to ten professional associations is time-consuming, but placing advertising in five major trade publications may break the budget. Of course, success stories from the Internet are flooding the marketplace.
You'll need to continually evaluate each recruitment tool in terms of costs and benefits. For example, if you invested $900 in an ad, how many qualified leads did the ad deliver? Ultimately, you may want to experiment with all recruitment channels: advertising, Internet. networking, industry exhibits, and complimentary postings in newsletters or bulletins. If you try several of them simultaneously, you'll be able to evaluate their impact.
All too often, organizations ignore the most logical and valuable source of qualified candidates: their employees. By giving employees recruitment bonuses of as little as $100, you can turn them into a front-line sales force for your organization. They'll keep their eyes open for qualified candidates and pay attention to job vacancies. And, since they understand the organization's culture, they'll be more likely to recommend candidates who are a good fit.
Another tactic is simply to ask, "Who would you most like to have as a colleague?" When members of a department at a celebrated physician group practice were asked that question, they were quick to respond. The person they recommended was called immediately and ultimately accepted the position. You can implement a similar strategy by asking members of your purchasing department to recommend potential sales representatives.
And don't forget that the greatest repository of talent may lie within your own four walls. Don't forget about qualified internal candidates who know your organization and may have invested years preparing to fill the right vacancy. If you suspect you may have a qualified internal candidate, handle the situation delicately and honestly. Without making false promises, tell the candidate where you stand in the recruitment process and how many people you intend to interview. Then give the internal candidate the opportunity to participate on equal footing-to move through the same battery of interviews and reference checks as external candidates.
Conducting the Screening Interview
Use the telephone to get to know the candidates. In most cases, an adequate telephone screening interview takes about one hour. The goal is to learn about the candidate's current status, goals, complaints, and timetable.
Ask open ended but explicit questions: What do you want in a job? What do you need in a job? What's lacking in your present situation? In most cases, candidates accept new positions because of a hurt, gap, or problem in their current position or organization. Unless you can show how your organization can address that need or pain, you may never make it to the face-to-face interview.
Among the comments you may hear from disgruntled potential candidates are the following: "There's a lack of opportunity in my currentorganization," "I'm bored," "I'm not making the income I think I should," "I'm on the wrong side of a political battle and I am getting squeezed," or "My family doesn't like living here."
These grievances may or may not be legitimate. For example "lack of opportunity" may mean a lack of career development programs or opportunities for promotion. Or it could be that the organization doesn't envision the candidate as a senior-executive material because of chronic conflicts with colleagues and subordinates.
Continue to probe for more information. For example, in the case of the candidate who perceives limited opportunity, you might ask, "How long have you felt this way?" or "How do you compare to other executives at your level?" or "What promises about promotions were made to you when you were hired?" or "How do others in the organization view your work?" or "What do you think is standing in your way?"
Be alert for "knock-out" factors
Money, for instance, can be a knock-out factor. What is the candidate currently earning? If he or she is already making $145,000 year and your position pays a maximum of $80,000, you may decide not to move forward to the on-site interview. (But, if you sense the candidate is looking for a career shift, a slower-paced lifestyle, or a more desirable geographic location, a personal interview might still be in order.)
Some knock-out factors are personal. Although some candidates like to boast, "My spouse and kids will follow me anywhere," the reality is that both partners may have professional objectives and long-standing careers. The decision to change jobs and relocate is usually made not by the candidate acting alone, but by the candidate, spouse and children. Let's say your organization is located in Fargo, or Minot, North Dakota, and your leading candidate's spouse is a successful San Francisco fashion designer; you may want to interview the spouse by phone to explore his or her personal, professional and family needs.
Finally, the telephone screening interview should pin down the candidate's time-frame. Many candidates want to change jobs or relocate, but they feel no real sense of urgency. You'll want o ask: "Would you be prepared to move if the right opportunity came up within the next 90 days?" If the candidate hesitates, chokes up when he mentions leaving the South; or if she expresses concern over the mental health of her preteen daughter, you may be dealing with someone who's not primed to move.
Controlling the Interview
Once you've scanned resumes and done telephone screening interviews you're ready to conduct the face-to-face interview. In most cases, you'll want to invite the candidate and spouse-and sometimes even members of the family-to visit your organization and the community. While some organizations invite the spouse on the first interview, others choose to make the spouse an integral part of the second, follow-up visit.
Never go into an interview-whether by phone or face to face-unprepared. In an all-too-common scenario, an executive stumbles like a sleepwalker through a few minutes of awkward small talk. Next comes a 15-minute monologue-a lecture on the organization's assets and liabilities. And then, for the finale, a vague question: "So what brings you here?"
In conducting an interview, you have four objectives: (1) to develop a better understanding
4:00 p.m. Overview of the day and questions with vice-president of human resources
5:00 p.m. Break
6:00 p.m. Reception with key staff
7:00 p.m. Dinner
You'll need to brief each interviewer on the candidate's background. Give everyone plenty of time to review the resume and supplemental notes from the telephone screening interviews. Also, to ensure some consistency, you may want to provide each interviewer with a set of questions. Or you might suggest that each officer concentrate on a specific subject. For example, in the above agenda, you could assign the chief financial officer the task of exploring how well the candidate handles budget planning and monitoring.
Most organizations have problems-both real and rumored. Often they need to be addressed in the interview. But if you allow everyone on the interview schedule to dwell on negatives, the candidate might conclude that your organization is overwhelmed with problems. A smart tactic is to assign the discussion of problems to one person. For example, if you have high turnover rate, ask one interviewer to cover that issue and to describe how you are coming to grips with it.
A sound goal for each interviewer is to use the first 80% of the interview for listening, and the last 20% for talking or commentary. After greeting the candidate, one of the best ways to launch an interview-and begin to listen-is with an open-ended query: "Tell me about yourself," or "What are you really good at?" Such questions not only provide data but also uncover significant character traits: does the candidate demonstrate self-knowledge? How honest is the candidate?
A delicate point: there may be questions you would like to ask, but you worry about the legal implications of asking them. The quiz at the end of this article will help you test you knowledge of what you can and cannot ask. Ask your lawyer if your questions meet the current standards of E.E.O.C., etc.
To encourage an honest and open response, you might tell the candidate who you are. For example: "I'm an entrepreneur. I was a terrible employee. I just don't fit into a corporation. I'm a great executor, but a horrible planner. I can't plan my day and I usually can't even find my desk. And there's one other thing: I just love a crisis. Now, I'd like to know who you are. What drives you? What makes you want to come to work in the morning?"
Try to place your best interviewer in the wrap-up position on the interview schedule. If you've already received feedback from interviewers throughout the day and sense the candidate is a strong fit, you may want to go for the close. But first ask the candidate, "Do you have any unanswered questions?" or "Are there any issues that came up today that we need to deal with?"
The best feedback to the candidate is personal, direct, and meaningful. "We really like you and feel the interview went very well. We believe you'd be a tremendous fit for our company." Then, say to the candidate, "What do you think?" If the candidate, seems positive, you may want to ask, "If we were to make you an offer, what would you say?" If the candidate seems to like the organization, community, position and salary, and seems prepared to make the decision, you may want to cut and close. In that case, if you've done your reference check, you're home free.
In the process of paying attention to the candidate, don't forget the spouse. While you're under no obligation to find the spouse a position, you may want to set up courtesy interviews with some potential employers, churches, schools, and real estate offices. Let the interests of the working or non-working spouse dictate the agenda.
Checking References
Letters of reference provide valuable insights, but they are no substitute for an in-depth telephone conference. In fact, most reputable executive search firms will refuse to present candidates until they've verified at least three references by phone. You should to the same.
Although many organizations still choose to leave their reference check until the very end, it makes more sense to talk to references before inviting the candidate for a face-to-face visit. Why? Because references let you know if you're wasting your time. They alert you to potential red flags, idiosyncrasies, and trouble spots. And, most important, they spotlight issues you'll want o cover in the face-to-face interview. After the initial face-to-face interview, it may be too late to explore potential conflicts or problems-unless of course, you want to invest time and money in conducting a second interview.
Not all references are alike. Moreover, you should to beyond the references recommended by the candidate. Make sure those references you choose to interview conform to the following criteria: He or she should have known the candidate for at least a year in a professional capacity. (Friends and family don't count!) Also, the reference should have recent experience with the candidate.
Once you've introduced yourself to the reference, open-ended questions generally get things off to a good start: try something like "Give me your professional evaluation of this candidate" or "What is this candidate like?' The touchy subject of weaknesses might be approached with the following comment: "Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I'd like you to give me an idea of this candidate's strengths and weaknesses so I can get a balanced view." You can get good insights into the candidate's style and personality by inquiring; "Tell me what it's like to work with this person everyday." Finally, if for any reason you feel a need to check the reference's credibility, you might ask a "validator" question, perhaps "If you were in business for yourself, would you hire this person?" In most cases, if you hear anything but the word "yes," you better dig deeper.
It's not easy for today's busy entrepreneur to invest time in networking, screening and orchestrating the interview process. But consider the cost of hiring a person who's just plain wrong for your organization. Or reflect on the economic and human resources costs of leaving a pivotal position vacant.
People are your organization's greatest asset. It's true. The time and effort you invest in preparing job specifications, networking, screening candidates and conducting face-to-face interviews could pay huge dividends down the road.
SIDEBAR QUESTIONS:
5. You can check any reference you want-whether or not the candidate has authorized it.
Answer: True. However, if, in the process of checking references, you cost the candidate a job, the candidate may sue you. If the candidate is in a competitive environment where contacting references could jeopardize current employment, you can ask for the names of colleagues within the organization. Or, you can go through the interview, making it clear that an offer will be contingent on reference checks.
6. You can use any information in forming an opinion on a candidate as long as you don't share it with anyone.
Answer: True. In some cases, executive search firms will learn something negative about a candidate in the process of reference checking, but will refuse to tell the client. In checking references, an organization learned that a candidate had been a naked skydiver in college. While the organization had every right to eliminate the candidate from further consideration, it erred by sharing the information with other similar organizations in the state. The candidate sued and won. The solution: If you learn something negative about a candidate, keep it to yourself.
7. You can ask about disciplinary actions such as loss of license and driving while intoxicated.
Answer: True. It's within your rights to ask about this history. It's also within your rights to check for such actions with appropriate authorities. However, you must secure the candidate's written permission before you do so.
8. As long as you don't write it down, you can ask anything.
Answer: False. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask even if you can't write it down.
This article was written by Cejka
Search and originally appeared in INC Magazine. It has been
re-written and updated to reflect today's job market.