Hiring

About this Topic: Hiring

Topic Mentor

Linda A. Hill

From her more than 20 years of extensive field work, professor Linda A. Hill has helped
managers create the conditions for effective management in today's flatter and increasingly
diverse organizations. She is a professor and chair of the Leadership Initiative at Harvard
Business School. She is also the author of the best-selling Becoming a Manager (Harvard
Business School Press), now out in paperback.

Linda served as the content expert for Coaching for Results and Managing Direct Reports, two
award-winning interactive programs from Harvard Business School Publishing. She also served
as a mentor for many Harvard ManageMentor topics.

Topic Source Notes

Learn

Bob Adams and Peter Veruki. Streetwise Hiring of Top Performers. Holbrook, MA: Adams
Media Corporation, 1997.

Harvard Business School. Human Resources. "Interviewing Skills." 1998.

Harvard Business School Publishing. Hiring and Keeping the Best People. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2002.

Harvard University. Office of the General Counsel. "Legal Issues in Hiring." December 1997.
Michael Hattersley. "Conducting a Great Job Interview." Harvard Management Update, March
1997.

James M. Jenks and Brian L. P. Zevnik. "ABCs of Job Interviewing." Harvard Business Review,
July–August, 1989.

Arnold B. Kanter. The Essential Book of Interviewing. New York: Random House, 1995.

Jeffrey M. Mead. "Interviewing Skills." January 1998.

Michael J. Roberts. "Note on the Hiring and Selection Process." Harvard Business School Case
Note, 1993.

William S. Swan. How to Pick the Right People Program. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1989.

Steps

Harvard Business School. Human Resources. "Interviewing Skills." 1998.

Harvard Business School Publishing. Hiring and Keeping the Best People. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2002.

Jeffrey M. Mead. "Interviewing Skills." January 1998.

Tips

Harvard Business School Publishing. Hiring and Keeping the Best People. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2002.

Tools

Harvard Business School Publishing. Hiring and Keeping the Best People. Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2002.

What Would You Do?

What would you do?

Frank was plagued by indecision. He had to choose between two very qualified, yet very
different, applicants for a job at MotionTech. He had been leaning toward Jeanette, the slightly
less experienced candidate, who had demonstrated a developing talent in certain skills over the
past two years. And she came from an informal culture similar to MotionTech's. Frank's
colleague, Mary, saw more potential in Chad, the other candidate. She was impressed by his
record of high performance, and liked the fact that his old clients were big fans who would
follow him to his new job. It didn't bother Mary that he came from a more structured culture.
Frank wondered which were the most important attributes to look for in a candidate.
What would you do?

One tool that Frank might use to compare these candidates is a decision-making matrix. To
create a decision-making matrix, he should list the candidates along one side of the grid and the
job requirements across the top. Frank should then decide on a scoring system to use to rank each
candidate's fit with the job requirements. The next step is to fill in the matrix using the notes he
took during the interviews. After that, Frank should check each candidate's references. If the
decision on whom to hire is not clear by the end of this process, Frank might want to schedule
second interviews with the candidates.

In this topic, you'll learn how to recruit a diverse pool of qualified candidates, prepare for and
conduct a successful hiring interview, and follow up with an appropriate offer.

Hiring decisions have long-term repercussions. How can you make sure that you pick the right
person for the job?

Topic Objectives

This topic helps you:

 Recruit a diverse pool of qualified candidates

 Prepare for an effective hiring interview
 Conduct a successful interview, focusing on how to open, maintain, and close the
interview
 Follow up with an appropriate offer

Disclaimer

This topic provides information of a general nature regarding hiring practices. It is not intended
as legal advice regarding hiring practices and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal
consultation regarding hiring processes, generally, or specific individual situations.

The importance of effective hiring

Hiring good people is one of the most significant contributions you can make to your
organization. Good hiring decisions create a foundation for more effective performance by you,
your team, and your company. Conversely, bad hiring decisions drag down performance and are
expensive and painful to correct.

Leadership Insight: Hiring a top team

It was a very difficult period for Pace when I first joined. The company was in crisis. On the one
hand we were trying to manage the financials of the company and make sure that we had enough
cash to continue to trade and make payroll. At the same time, I had to build a new team. This is
when chief executives start to earn their money because on the one hand they have to manage
that, and on the other, they have to be selling the visions to shareholders, to staff, to customers,
to suppliers.

And also, when you want to start to try and hire real talent into the company, how do you do it
against such a backdrop? So we had to be very clear that I was serious about the vision and that
the people I was trying to hire understood the opportunity. The other thing, to build a great team,
there's no point in putting people around you who are worse than you. You have to bring in
people who are better than you — better in their areas of discipline and who can bring a whole
new view to the group. That's what a team is about, it's about bringing in and harnessing more
talents that can give you a better result and better decisions.

So I went about doing that. It's one thing to choose talent, but it's a team, so you have to choose
personalities that are going to give you spread. Because again, there's no point in having
personalities like your own, because then you've just got more of you.

So you need people with different ways of thinking: lateral thinkers, vertical thinkers, people
who are more human-oriented, people who are more operational. You need to choose that blend.

So I went out to find the right talent and the right people. One of the things, when you go out to
find great talent, is they tend to be good leaders, strong, opinionated people — which is good,
and a very healthy thing. The key is harnessing that into a team where they can really work
together and pull together.

And so they have to all buy into the vision and the culture and the direction of where you're
going to start to make that happen. But don't think this was an easy task.

And again, as a chief executive, you've got to make some tough decisions sometimes, to make
sure you put first and foremost the harmony of the team and the team's capability of delivering,
rather than superstar individuals who cause disruption.

I had one situation where two of the people I trusted most among my team, for delivery and
absolute excellence, really didn't get along very well. They were fighting. One didn't believe that
the other had the talent. The other believed the first was empire building. So what do you do in
that situation?
So I sat them down and I said, "Right. Here's the thing. I absolutely value both of you. The
company is so much better with the pair of you here. But, one of you is going to have to go
unless you figure out between you how to make this work, because from where I'm sitting, I have
to have a team. But I love the pair of you, so you need to sort it out."

And they did. And not only did they sort it out, they worked extremely well together, because the
one who thought the other one wasn't talented realized that he was, and the other one who
thought he was empire building realized that he wasn't. And now we have a very strong team.

At the same time, one of the people that I hired, he never made it. He didn't turn out to have the
talent. Now, in some organizations, the chief executive might feel, "Well, I brought him in. I'm
going to look a bit foolish if I let him go." But it had to be done, because it sent the right message
to the company, that the team is the most important thing, and that we will only have the best
people working in the organization.

And the results that we had from then on — across the organization, in motivating staff — were
extremely strong. In the staff satisfaction survey, consistently to date, the top marks are usually
given to the executive team because people trust them, and rate them because they're passionate
and lead in a very good, solid way.

Harness collective intelligence into a team that can really work together.

Neil Gaydon
Chief Executive Office, Pace Plc.

Neil Gaydon is Chief Executive Officer at Pace Plc., one of the world's leading developers of
digital television technology for the pay TV industry. Pace is the world leader in high-definition
set-top box technology and a key player in the move toward technology convergence for
entertainment throughout the home.

Neil joined Pace's board of directors in 2002 and was appointed CEO in 2006. In 2008 he led the
company through the acquisition of Royal Philips Electronics, a set-top box business, doubling
the company's size. During his time at Pace, Neil also served as Director of Worldwide Sales and
Marketing and President of Pace Americas, establishing the group's U.S. operations.

Prior to working at Pace, Neil spent over 12 years as a Senior Executive in the hi-fi industry. He
is also active in the local community as a board member of the Bradford City of Film.

Key Idea: The hiring process

Key Idea

Hiring involves careful thought about what the position you're filling entails, what characteristics
are required to carry out its responsibilities successfully, and who would make a good candidate.
You'll be more likely to hire the right person if you work closely with your human resources
department during each step of the hiring process, which comprises these five phases:
 1. Define the job requirements: Before you start the search, it's critical that you
understand what the job involves and the education, skills, experience, and personal
characteristics that are needed to perform it.
2. Recruit promising candidates: Once you know what the job requires, you need to
find candidates who have the necessary qualifications. The best way to find qualified
candidates is to get the word out using your professional connections and recruiting
resources.
3. Interview: Conduct interviews with the most promising candidates so you can learn
more about their abilities and experience, as well as whether they will be a good fit
with your organization. Interviews also provide you with an opportunity to "sell" the
position and the company and give job candidates the information they need to make
an informed decision.
4. Evaluate the candidates: Once all candidates have been interviewed, the people
involved in the hiring decision must conduct an objective evaluation of each
candidate.
5. Make a decision and offer: The last step of the hiring process is making the
decision and extending a job offer. Always aim for the individual who can contribute
the most to your organization's success.

Each of these phases helps you further refine your candidate search.

Knowing the hiring process can help you hire the right person. What are the steps involved in
this process?

Key Idea: Determine the ideal "fit"

Key Idea

Before you can hire the right person for the job, you need to understand what the job involves.
You also want to determine what will make for a good "fit" between an individual's skills and
personal attributes and the requirements of the job and the organization. There are four factors
that will help you define the job and its requirements:

 Background characteristics, such as educational background and past experience

 Personal characteristics, such as creative abilities and decision-making style
 Organizational structure, such as hierarchy and management
 Culture

To get a sense of the primary responsibilities and tasks, begin by asking the question, "What
does the employee have to do in this job?" If you are looking to fill an existing position, you can
often answer this question by reviewing the current job description. If you are hiring for a newly
created position or if a job description does not exist, you will need to spend time learning about
the job function and talking with those who will interact with and/or rely on the person who
holds this position.
Different types of jobs require different types of employees. How can you make sure that you
find someone who will make a good "fit"?

Background characteristics

When you think about a candidate's background, the two major factors to consider are education
and experience. Determine if a specific educational background is truly necessary for the job.
Sometimes, you may find you can be flexible and substitute a certain educational background
and degree with relevant experience.

 Base the experience requirements on a thorough analysis of the specific tasks and
responsibilities the position entails. Distinguish between the type and level of
experience that are absolutely critical for the job and those that are beneficial but not
essential. Determine whether the organization can afford the time needed for on-the-
job learning for a strong candidate who lacks some of the experience requirements.
 Consider if you want someone with industry experience, functional experience, and
large- versus small-company experience. Note that industry and functional experience
are particularly important for externally oriented positions requiring knowledge of
products and competitors.

Personal characteristics

If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs.
But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.

–David Ogilvy

Personal characteristics indicate how the candidate will approach the job and relate to coworkers.
Evaluate these personal characteristics relative to the tasks and responsibilities you've listed for
the job opening:

 Analytical and creative abilities: A candidate's abilities in these two areas determine
how he or she assesses problems and comes up with new approaches to solving them.
Does the job need a problem solver, or someone who is comfortable working within
established processes?
 Decision-making style: The way people make decisions is very individual. Some
people are extremely analytical and rely on facts, while others rely more on intuition.
Some make decisions quickly, while others ponder them for a long time. Some depend
on consensus, while others seek their own counsel. It is critical to determine whether a
particular style is required for success in the job and, if so, what that style is.
 Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal skills and behavior are intimately connected; that
is why understanding a candidate's interpersonal skills is an important part of the
hiring decision process. To determine which interpersonal skills are most appropriate
for a given position, think about the set of tasks that will be performed in the position.
Which traits would translate into good performance, especially in view of the
superiors, peers, and direct reports with whom the person will interact? For example,
 an effective controller might be patient and formal, demonstrating careful, cautious,
detail-oriented behavior. For a sales manager, high extroversion and informality might
be desirable.
 Motivation: A candidate's goals, interests, energy level, and job progression often
demonstrate his or her level of motivation. If the position calls for a high degree of
independence, you might look for goal-oriented, high-energy, or self-directed
candidates.

Organizational structure

In addition to thinking about candidate attributes that match the specific job requirements, you
need to widen your perspective and consider how a candidate will fit in with the organization as
a whole. Think about how your organization is structured and try to determine what
characteristics would be a good fit with the environment.

For example, is your organization hierarchical and formal or less structured and informal? Some
candidates might not function well in an informal and less structured environment, while others
may indicate that a limited structure fuels their creativity.

Culture

It's also important to think about the culture of your company. Culture defines an organization's
way of doing things, general values, and the ways in which people relate to one another. The
culture of an organization displays itself in factors such as how people dress, if they restrict
conversations to those of a professional nature, or if people tend to work in teams or
independently. Think about the culture of your organization and how it might be described in
terms of employee attributes.

Leadership Insight: The right stuff

If you get the right person in the door in the first place, you increase the odds of keeping him or
her. It makes total sense. And by the way, when I say "right person," I don't mean a clone of you,
the manager. I mean the right person given the skills, the job requirements, the culture, et cetera.

So I'm going to give you an example. Southwest Airlines — they are famous for the way they go
about selecting, the way they go about interviewing the candidates. I talked to an airline pilot
who was hired by Southwest Airlines who could attest to their very, very interesting process.

They put him through a series of interviewers, the "beauty parade," if you will. And what people
were looking for were his attitudes, his beliefs, how he interacts with people. They even checked
to see: "Is he fun? Is he funny?" Do we need a funny pilot? I don't know. But this is one of the
things they look for in terms of fit in the culture.

Fast-forward six months later. I was getting on a Southwest Airline's flight, a couple got on right
ahead of me and realized they'd forgotten the baby's bottles. They had the baby, but no bottles,
and they were panicked.
And they looked down on the tarmac and they saw the blue suitcase sitting on the tarmac and
they said, "That's where the bottles are!" The pilot overhead them. The pilot ran down the stairs,
ran over to the luggage rack and was pointing. They're pointing "yes, yes" at the blue suitcase.
He's pointing. He opens the blue suitcase, he finds the baby bottles, he comes racing back up the
stairs, and the whole plane bursts into applause.

Now how many pilots will frankly run down on the tarmac to retrieve a baby's bottle? This is
part of what Southwest Airlines is looking for — this ability to leave arrogance on the back
burner, this ability to interact with people in this kind of a manner.

So it's very, very important who you're hiring, who you're bringing in the door.

Look beyond a job candidate's credentials and be sure to hire someone who is a good fit for the
organization's culture.

Sharon Jordan-Evans
President, Jordan-Evans Group

Sharon Jordan-Evans is a pioneer in the field of employee retention and engagement.

She coauthored the Wall Street Journal bestseller "Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People
to Stay" with Beverly Kaye, which is now in its fourth edition and has been translated into 20
languages.

Her follow-up book, "Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work," also
became a Wall Street Journal bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages.

Sharon runs a consulting company, The Jordan Evans Group, where she coaches high-
performing executives and speaks to audiences about engagement and retention.

As a corporate coach and keynote presenter, she works with Fortune 500 companies such as
AMEX, Boeing, Disney, Monster, Lockheed, and Sony. Her Web site is: [Link]

Develop a job description

Once you understand the position's requirements, you are ready to create a job description. A job
description outlines the job responsibilities, reporting relationships, hours, compensation, and
credentials needed. It will allow you to explain the job both to potential candidates and to any
resources you might be using to help you identify candidates. In some cases, your organization
may have a required format or standard job description to use as a model, and you may need to
have certain aspects of the description, such as salary, approved by the human resources
department. Your job description should include the following:

 Job title, business unit, organization

 Summary of the job tasks, responsibilities, and objectives
 Hiring manager, reporting manager
  Compensation, hours, location
 Background (education, experience) required
 Personal characteristics required

Sample job description

Remember, creating a job description is also an opportunity to redesign a job, not just to fill the
current one.

For example, the last person who held the position might have had a strong strategic focus, and
you may decide you now need a more hands-on manager. Develop the job description
accordingly.

Sample Job Description for a Senior

Accountant

Date: October 1, 2007

Position Title: Senior Accountant
Hours/Location: Monday – Friday, 9:00 –
5:00; Watertown office
$70,000 – $75,000 annual
Compensation:
salary
Department: Finance
Assistant Director,
Reports To:
Finance
Summary: (summary statement/brief overview
of position)
As a member of the accounting team, support
the management of the company through timely
and accurate reporting of financial information
and analysis of our inventory position.
Key Responsibilities: (specific key
duties/responsibilities of position)
 Contribute to an accurate and speedy
close through completion of account
reconciliations and other actions as
required.
 Liaise with product business groups and
partner-distributors to analyze
operational information and create
worksheets used to post journal entries
to the general ledger.
 Ensure accurate transfer of data from the
perpetual inventory system to the
 general ledger, determine that the system
is functioning properly and recommend
system improvements. Implement cycle
count procedures during cycle counts to
determine correctness and recommend
improvements.
 Assist with licensing processing as
required.
 Liaise between outside distributors and
internal departments for sales data, and
perform analysis of data to ensure
accurate and reliable information.
 Reconcile selected accounts to the
appropriate subsidiary ledgers and
perform account analysis to ensure
appropriate adjustments are recorded.
 Prepare segments of the annual audit
work paper package as assigned, in an
accurate and timely manner.
 Special projects as assigned.

Requirements: (education, experience,

communication/organization skills, work
environment, etc.)
 College degree, preferably in
Accounting or Business Administration.
 2 to 3 years of progressive responsibility
in general accounting.
 Excellent interpersonal skills as well as
the ability to communicate well both
verbally and in writing.

Recruitment channels
Accessing qualified candidates is critical to the success of your hiring effort. You will want to
get the word out through as many channels as possible to increase the number of applicants in
your candidate pool. However, you should also select targeted, relevant channels to ensure that
the proportion of qualified candidates in your pool is as high as possible. Typical channels
include:

 Recruiting agencies
 Newspaper ads
 Referrals from colleagues
 Trade publications
 Professional associations
 Networking
 Colleges and universities
 The Internet (recruitment Web sites and your company's Web site)
 Job fairs

Signaling inclusivity when you communicate your policies, benefits, and mission statements can
help ensure a diverse candidate pool. In addition, you can:

 Enhance the "pipeline" through programs like internships and partnerships with
colleges, universities, and community organizations
 Establish effective college recruitment programs
 Encourage personal referrals from current employees

Screen résumés

The cover letter and résumé are the candidate's first introduction to you, and their content should
convey the qualities you are looking for. Note that e-mailed submissions may be less formal than
traditionally mailed résumés or provided in a format specific to an online recruiting agency.

When you have a large number of résumés to review, use a two-step process to make your task
more manageable. In the first pass, eliminate the résumés for those candidates who clearly do not
meet the education and experience requirements that you previously noted as being essential for
performing the job. Examine specific aspects of the résumé, such as:
  Signs of achievement and results; for example, profit orientation, stability, or career
direction
 Progressive career momentum
 A career goal in line with the job being offered
 Willingness to work hard
 Overall construction and appearance of the résumé, although this criterion may not
apply to résumés submitted via an online form

In the second pass, consider the more subtle differences among qualified candidates. Then
develop a list of the strongest candidates.

Résumé warning signs

When reviewing résumés, be on the alert for warning signs that can indicate areas of weakness
such as:

 Lengthy description of education (possibly not much job experience)

 Obvious gaps in background
 Too much personal information (possibly not much job experience)
 Descriptions of jobs and positions only, with no descriptions of results or
accomplishments
 Typos and poor reproduction quality

Activity: Spot a suspect résumé

By learning to spot warning signs in résumés, you can boost your chances of hiring right.

You're reviewing a résumé from someone interested in a job writing marketing copy. Above is a
section of the résumé. Do you see any warning signs? If so, what are they?

This résumé contains no descriptions of results or accomplishments.

Not the best choice. This résumé does offer information on the cacndidate's results and
accomplishments; for example, the brand-building strategies he developed.

This résumé contains typographical errors.

Correct choice. Typographical errors in a résumé can indicate areas of weakness in the
candidate and thus constitute a warning sign.

This résumé contains no warning signs.

Not the best choice. The résumé does contain some warning signs (look closely!) that can
indicate areas of weakness in the candidate.
Interview process overview

A hiring interview has one primary purpose—to provide an opportunity for both interviewer and
job candidate to obtain the information they need to make the best possible decision. Since the
time spent with any particular job candidate is limited, a well-organized approach will help make
the most of that time, yielding more and better information.

When selecting someone for an important position, you may go through all of the following
stages. You'll probably go through at least two to three of them for every job opening.

1. Create an interview team. Before you begin interviewing candidates, you may want
to set up an interview team to help with the process. The interview team should
comprise a select few people who are familiar with the job function or who will be
interacting with person hired. The team may include a representative from HR, other
managers, peers, and direct reports. Each team member brings different experience
and perspective to the process, resulting in a broader view that is more likely to lead to
a successful hiring decision.
2. Telephone-screening interview. You or someone from a recruiting agency, the
interview team, HR, or your department may conduct a telephone-screening interview.
Its purpose is to confirm that the candidate meets the stated job qualifications. It is
also a good opportunity to get some initial impressions of the candidate: Does he or
she call you back at the specified time? Communicate well?
3. Initial in-person interview. Try to narrow the field to four to seven candidates before
holding an initial interview. This interview will probably last 30 to 60 minutes. For
less demanding positions, you may find out everything you need to know about the
candidate in this interview. In other cases, you will need to see the person again.
4. Second interview. Be very selective about which candidates are asked back for a
second interview. At this point, if you don't have an interview team, you might ask
others with a stake in the process to meet the candidate. These may include direct
reports, potential peers, or other managers. This interview often brings out more of the
"real" person.
5. Final interview. Schedule a final interview with each candidate during which time
you and, if appropriate, your manager sell the job and organization. You may also
 want the candidates to meet with someone from HR to learn briefly about company
policies and benefits.
6. Make a decision and offer. The last step of the hiring process is making the decision
and extending a job offer. Always aim for the individual who can contribute the most
to your organization's success.

Structured versus unstructured interviews

The approach you use when interviewing may vary with the type of position you are trying to fill
and your comfort level with the interview process. Two basic approaches are structured and
unstructured interviews.

In a structured interview, you ask all of the candidates the same questions so you can compare
answers. The purpose of structured interviews is to be fair and objective, but this approach may
not elicit as much information from candidates as unstructured interviews. Structured interviews
are more appropriate for positions that don't require much judgment or creative thinking.

Unstructured interviews are individual conversations that do not necessarily cover all the same
questions with every candidate. You may learn more about each candidate, but it will be difficult
to compare their responses. This type of interview is beneficial when you are filling a position
that involves a fair amount of decision making, problem solving, and interaction with others. It
opens the door to productive areas of inquiry that neither you nor your colleagues may have
anticipated.

In most cases, it's probably a good idea to steer a middle path between these two interview
approaches. Be flexible in your line of inquiry, but be sure that all interviewees respond to a core
set of questions. By preparing those core questions in advance, you can assure yourself and the
decision-making team that all key points are covered, and that all candidates respond to them.

Develop an interview guide

An interview guide helps you be consistent, focused, and fair in your interviews. It also helps
you maintain control of the interview. You can develop one general interview guide per job
opening and then create individualized copies that contain each candidate's information. During
the interview, you can use the customized guide as a road map and place to take notes.

An interview guide contains:

 A summary of the job requirements as outlined in your job profile

 The candidate's relevant experience and accomplishments
 Questions to ask to determine if the candidate has the qualities you want; some
questions should be general and asked of all candidates, while other questions should
be customized for each candidate

Example Interview Guide

 If the résumé states: Ask:
"I successfully "How was success
managed development measured: by revenues,
of a new line of time-to-market, what?
consumer Specifically, what was
kitchenware." your role in the
development effort?"
"I worked effectively "What was the nature of
with marketing and your contribution? How
sales to increase annual were unit sales
unit sales by 25% over increased: by more
the past 12 months." effective selling or by
slashing prices?"
"I initiated the redesign "What processes? What
of key department do you mean by
processes." 'initiated'? Why did you
decide to do this? Why
was this initiative
important?"

Before you distribute interview guides to the interview team, it's always prudent to have your
human resource department and/or legal counsel review these guides to ensure that they do not
include any questions that you may not legally ask.

Key Idea: Be prepared for the interview

Key Idea

You will be able to gather more of the information you need to make a good hiring decision if
you take the time and trouble to prepare for interviews. In addition, you'll leave a better
impression on the candidate if you are organized and efficient. This is important because the
candidate is interviewing you, too. Here are the steps you should take to prepare for an interview:

 Read the candidate's résumé and cover letter

 Find out where the candidate is in the interviewing process, with whom they have
previously interviewed, and what additional information he or she may have
provided in previous interviews
 Become familiar with the job function
 Formulate questions or, if you are using one, review the questions in the interview
guide
 Know what your organization has to offer candidates and what the candidate is
looking for so that you can promote your organization and the job opportunity
 Be up to date on your organization's reputation
 Practice your interviewing skills by role-playing with a colleague
A successful interview won't happen without preparation. How can you make sure that you're
ready?

Three phases

There are three phases to the interview.

1. Opening. 10% of the allotted time. Your goal is to make the candidate feel
comfortable and to set expectations about the structure of the interview.
2. Body. 80% of the allotted time. During this phase, you gather the information you will
need to evaluate the candidate. You also "sell" your organization.
3. Close. 10% of the allotted time. This phase is when you answer any remaining
questions the candidate may have, explain the next steps in the hiring process, and
thank the candidate for coming.

The opening

There are several things you can do to set the right tone at the beginning of the interview.

 Greet the candidate. To put the candidate at ease, be warm and friendly. Introduce
yourself. Smile, make eye contact, and shake hands. Include the candidate's name in
your greeting. If you are not sure how to pronounce it, ask. Be aware of cultural
nuances.
 Select a quiet, private meeting space that will not be conducive to interruptions.
Activate your voice mail or redirect your phone calls; do not take any calls during the
interview.
 Make sure the candidate is physically comfortable. In the interview space, show
the candidate where to put his or her coat and where to sit. Offer the candidate a
beverage.
 Introduce yourself. Explain your role in the organization and how it relates to the
open position.
 Explain the structure of the interview. For example, you might say:
o "I'm going to ask you about your experience."
o "I'm interested in finding out about you as an individual."
 o "We're interested in finding out whether there is a good fit between your
interests and abilities and our organizational needs."
o "I will tell you about our organization."
o "I'll be glad to take your questions at the end of the interview."
 Establish rapport with the candidate. There are several approaches you can use:
o Acknowledge some of the difficulties or awkwardness related to being
interviewed, such as meeting a lot of new people or being tired at the end of
the day.
o If you are the first to interview the candidate, ask how his or her commute was
or how the directions to the building were.
o Compliment the candidate on some aspect of the experience displayed in his or
her résumé.
o Acknowledge that you have something in common, such as attending the same
college or sharing an outside interest.

Key Idea: The body

Key Idea

During the body of the interview, you are assessing the candidate's qualifications, skills,
knowledge, and experience and comparing them to the job description you created. Pursue a
direct line of questions based on the résumé. Identify similarities and patterns of behavior
consistent with your ideal profile. If appropriate, ask for samples of work, transcripts, and
references to review after the interview.

It can sometimes be difficult to get the candidate to be specific about accomplishments listed on
his or her résumé. Ask directly for details, and probe for tangible measures of success.

Ask the questions you identified in preparing the interview guide.

For example, if the résumé states: "I played the leading role in the best-rated show," ask "How
was the success of your performance measured? Specifically, what was your role in achieving
the show's ratings?"

You are also assessing the candidate's personal qualities, such as leadership, problem-solving,
communication, teamwork skills, and motivation. Ask behavioral and scenario-based questions
about past experiences and "what if" situations. Look for an understanding of the job,
enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and potential fit in the organization.

The body of the interview is when you will find out the most information about the candidate.
How can you make sure that this part goes as well as the rest?

The close

During the close, wrap up the interview and explain the remainder of the hiring process. The
table below outlines what the close entails.
 Do the following: Example:
Ask if the candidate "Is there anything else
has anything else to you wanted to tell me
add. about that I did not give
you a chance to discuss?"
Ask if the candidate "I see our time is almost
has questions or if up. Before we close, is
there is anything that there a question or two I
hasn't been covered or might be able to answer
that is unclear. for you?"
Explain how and "We will review all of
when the candidate the information and be in
will hear about touch with you by
follow-up interviews (date)."
or a decision.
Provide the candidate "Here is my business
with your business card. Please feel free to
card. Invite the contact me if you have
candidate to call you any other questions."
with further questions.
"I hope you'll strongly
Promote your
consider our
organization.
organization. As the
Remember to target
leader in the field, we
the features of your
have many fascinating
organization that
projects ongoing and
would appeal to the
many more in our
candidate.
future."
Thank the applicant. "Thank you for your time
Shake hands and make and for helping us learn
eye contact. Walk the more about your
candidate to the door experience. I believe you
or to his or her next are meeting with Stan
destination. next. Let me walk you to
his office."

Some candidates may ask questions about salary or benefits at this stage. In some organizations,
the human resources department addresses these questions. However, you may need to address
them yourself. Be prepared. If you don't have the information, tell the candidate you will get him
or her the information when you have it.

Keep the interview focused

The goal of the interview is to learn as much as possible about the candidate. You therefore need
to keep the conversation focused, encourage the candidate to talk, and take notes so that you
remember important information about the individual.

The key to maintaining control is to ask most of the questions and do most of the listening. You
should be listening 80% of the time.

 Follow logical lines of inquiry and return to them if the candidate asks a
question.
 Avoid having the candidate ask questions until the end of the interview.
 If the candidate gets off track in answering a question, gently steer him or her
back to your topic. Use phrases such as, "You were saying earlier..." or "tell me more
about..."
 Actively listen. Focus on what the person is saying and withhold judgment.
 Regularly summarize what you hear to: confirm what has been said; make
transitions between topics; and limit the comments of a wordy candidate. An example
of such a summary would be, "Are you saying that there was a six-month period when
you were supervising 20 people in two different departments? That must have been
difficult. How did you stay organized and on top of what was happening?"

Activity: Keep the interview on track

You'll need to keep your interview focused if you want to learn everything you can about the
candidate. What are some ways to keep the discussion on track?

Andy was recently tasked with staffing a new training initiative at his company. He's brought in
Jessica for an interview. Listen to this portion of the interview and help Andy keep the
discussion on track.

Andy: I'm glad you could be here today! So you just spoke with Jim...great. During this
interview, I'll be asking you some questions and taking notes. Let's see...One of the things we
look for in new hires is a track record of achievement in past jobs. Have you ever tackled any
challenging situations in your previous positions?
Jessica: Many times, yes.

Andy: Okay...uhh...good to know.

What should Andy do at this point to conduct the interview more effectively?

Ask "How did you meet a particularly tough challenge in your last job?"
Correct choice. This manager just asked a closed question (one that required only a "yes" or
"no" response). Closed questions don't encourage job candidates to provide extensive
information in their responses or to expand on their previous job experiences. By asking an open-
ended question, the manager can elicit a more detailed response from the candidate and get the
interview back on track.

Use more smiling and pauses to help put the candidate at ease
Not the best choice. Actually, the manager has already done a good job of putting the candidate
at ease through nodding, smiling, and pausing.

Ask about the candidate's track record: "Were you successful in meeting those challenges?"
Not the best choice. This is another example of a closed question (one that requires only a "yes"
or "no" response). Closed questions don't encourage job candidates to provide extensive
information in their responses or to expand on their previous job experiences.

Review the next portion of the interview and help Andy keep the discussion on track.

Andy: You note on your résumé that during your time at the ArchiTech Corporation, you
developed a training curriculum for new recruits. Tell me about one of the challenges involved,
and how you were able to meet it.

Jessica: Wow...where to begin.  One of the things I struggled with during that project was how
to develop a training curriculum we could use in our offices around the world. We wanted our
new hires to come out of training with the same skill sets. But they all had different cultural and
educational backgrounds. For instance, some of them had PhDs and were fluent in several
languages, while others were straight out of high school. Which actually reminds me of
something that happened while I was finishing my degree at...

What should Andy do at this point to conduct the interview more effectively?

Say something like, "You were telling me earlier. . ." or "Say more about. . . ."
Correct choice. This candidate has started to digress. By using these phrases, the manager could
get the candidate back to the original question.

Take more detailed notes

Not the best choice. The interviewer has been taking plenty of notes.

Control his negative reaction to what the candidate said

Not the best choice. While controlling negative reactions to the candidate is always good, in this
situation the manager will need to do even more to get this digressing candidate back to the
original question.

Review the next portion of the interview and help Andy keep the discussion on track.

Andy: You were telling me about this problem of designing the training curriculum. What else
can you tell me about how you solved the problem?

Jessica: I designed a computer course for new hires to work better in teams around the world.

What should Andy say at this point to conduct the interview most effectively?

"So, that was a pretty difficult task?"

Not the best choice. This is both a closed and a leading question. The candidate can only answer
"yes" or "no," and the manager has made an assumption about how the candidate will respond.
The question thus leaves little room for the degree of elaboration the manager will need to
understand how the candidate solved the problem at hand.

"How did you go about creating this course?"

Correct choice. By using the candidate's response in an open follow-up question, the manager
can encourage the person to discuss the topic in further depth.

"That's a pretty brief response. Do you need to take a break before we continue?"
Not the best choice. Though in some cases a job candidate may need to take a break during an
interview, this manager should ask a question that prompts the candidate to say more about how
the problem in question was solved.

Encourage the candidate to talk

The more you can encourage the candidate to talk, the more accurate your picture of him or her
will be. You can use the following techniques:

 Encourage the candidate to talk by smiling, nodding, and leaving pauses before you
jump in with a comment or another question.
  Ask follow-up questions that lead to more elaboration and specific examples of key
information about the candidate.
 Use the candidate's response in your follow-up questions.
 Use open-ended questions that incorporate terms such as "how," "why," "can you
describe," and "tell me about."

Try to monitor your own reactions. Avoid reacting negatively to what the interviewee has to say
—otherwise he or she will not respond as candidly to future questions. Know your own biases
and try to control their influence. Your first impression may change as the interview progresses.
Some people make a great impression in the first few minutes, yet become less impressive as
they talk more. Other people are nervous or slow to warm up, and their strengths take longer to
emerge.

Take notes

Notes help you recall significant facts about the candidate. Do take notes, but be unobtrusive
about it. Tell the candidate up front that you will be taking notes. Remember that your notes will
become part of the employee file. Avoid writing anything down that could be construed as
inconsistent with equal opportunity employment laws.

Take time between interviews to write down any additional notes or observations while they are
still fresh in your mind.

What is an effective question?

The interview is all about asking effective questions that get your candidate to talk freely about
him or herself. An effective question:

 Has a purpose
 Is tied to your decision-making criteria
 Opens communication
 Is job-related
 Is not "leading"
 Is nonthreatening

Effective questions reflect favorably on you and demonstrate your interest. The candidate will
sense that you took time to develop thoughtful questions.

Different types of questions

You are more likely to elicit the information you need to effectively evaluate the candidate if you
vary the types of questions you use during the interview. The table below lists the different types
of questions you might ask.

Question type: Example:

Open-ended questions begin "When were you
with "what," "how," "why,"
a member of a
"when," or "where." They
team? Can you
invite long answers that
describe what it
encourage the candidate to do
was like?"
most of the talking.
Closed questions begin with "Do you have
"did," "would," "do," and any experience
"are." These questions can be working on a
answered "yes" or "no." They team?"
should be used sparingly
because they do not encourage
the candidate to talk.
Self-appraisal questions "Why do you
require the candidate to give think you were
some thought to his or her selected to lead
interpersonal skills and the task force?"
abilities. They allow the
candidate, rather than you, to
interpret the facts.
Accomplishment questions "Tell me about a
provide evidence of the contribution you
candidate's demonstrated have made to a
behavioral qualities. They help team effort."
you learn why and how
something was accomplished,
and they reveal a candidate's
level of involvement in the
accomplishment.
"Tell me about
Broad-brush questions make your experience
the candidate think about a big as a project
topic, choose an answer, and manager with the
organize his or her thoughts. fiber optics
group."
Comparison questions reveal "How would you
a candidate's analytical and compare
reasoning abilities. working with the
fiber optics
group to working
with the polymer
group?"
"Would you say
Leading questions direct the you have the
candidate to answer what you motivation
want. They should be avoided. required for this
job?"
Leadership Insight: Uncovering passion

If you ask most managers what they focus on when hiring, they are likely to say two things:
talent and experience, skill and experience. What can this person do? Where have they done it?
Have they been effective?

I would like to suggest that there is a third element that should find its way into more hiring
interviews, and that element is interest — passion. What does this person want to do? When is
this person most alive and most likely to give everything they have to the job in front of them?

When someone is doing the work in a functional role that's allowing their deeply embedded life
interests to be expressed, they are far more likely to be productive and loyal.

How do you do this? Some simple questions can be quite helpful, questions such as, "When have
you been most alive at work? Tell me about that. What were you doing? What was the
environment like? Why were you most alive?"

And the opposite: "When did you feel least alive at work? When did you feel like you were not
deeply engaged, and why was that? When you think about our organization and everything I've
told you about our organization, what roles, what positions, what settings do you think would
bring from you that which is most excited, most interested, and most engaged?"

If you add interest to talent and experience, you're much more likely to come out of the hiring
interview with a fuller picture of who this person is and where they will become most alive in
your organization.

To better identify a potential employee, ask about their interests and passions during the
interview.

Timothy Butler
Senior Fellow and Director of Career Development Programs, Harvard Business School

Timothy Butler is a Senior Fellow and Director of Career Development Programs at Harvard
Business School. His research interests focus on career decision making and the relationship
between personality structure and work satisfaction.

His work has been published in periodicals such as Fortune, Fast Company, and the Harvard
Business Review.

Tim's research has led to the development of three psychometric instruments, the Business
Career Interest Inventory, the Management and Professional Rewards Profile, and the
Management and Professional Abilities Profile.

Tim has taught executive education programs and lectured at business schools throughout North
America, Europe, and Asia. He has acted as a consultant to senior managers from organizations
ranging from small technology start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.
His published titles include "Discovering Your Career in Business," "The Twelve Bad Habits
That Hold Good People Back," and "Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths."
Learn more about his work at: [Link].

Activity: Ask the right interview questions

By asking the right questions during an interview, you increase the odds of accurately evaluating
the candidate.

Amanda is interviewing Curtis for an entry-level position in her department. Curtis has just
described his role at his previous employer as the leader of an employee-development
committee. Amanda would like to learn more about his interpersonal skills. Which question
should Amanda ask?

"In your view, what were the reasons you were selected to lead the development
committee?"
Correct choice. Self-appraisal questions such as this one are a good way to get the candidate to
think about his or her interpersonal abilities. These kinds of questions allow the candidate, rather
than you, to interpret the facts.

"So, were you selected to lead the development committee because you had exhibited
previous leadership skills?"
Not the best choice. This sort of "leading question" points Curtis in the direction of the answer
rather than letting him interpret the facts and think about his own interpersonal abilities.

Tony is interviewing Carla for a position on his team. The job that Carla is interviewing for will
require specific skills, including the ability to work well in a team and to meet deadlines. Tony
wants to assess Carla's skills in these areas. Which question should he ask her?

"Are you generally able to complete projects and other tasks on schedule?"
Not the best choice. This is a closed question. It can be answered only with a "yes" or a "no";
thus, it will not likely encourage Carla to share extensive information about her accomplishments
and skills.

"Why don't you tell me about a time when you worked productively with a team?"
Correct choice. Accomplishment questions such as this one can help the candidate provide
evidence of his or her demonstrated behavioral qualities and shed light on why and how the
person accomplished something.
Maxine is interviewing Rob for a position in her unit. The job will require strong analytical and
reasoning capabilities. What question might Maxine ask to assess these qualities in Rob?

"In what ways do you see yourself as having strong analytical skills?"
Not the best choice. This is a self-appraisal question, which is best used to encourage the
candidate to think about his or her interpersonal skills. To assess Rob's analytical and reasoning
abilities, Maxine needs to ask a different kind of question.

"How would you compare managing a project to managing an individual?"

Correct choice. Comparison questions such as this can encourage a candidate to provide
responses that shed light on his or her analytical and reasoning abilities.

Appropriate topics

In most cases, you'll want to ask about the candidate's most recent job, work experience, skills,
working style, career aspirations, and education. The table below provides some sample
questions for each topic.

Topic area: Example:

Introduction "How did you hear about the job
opening?"

"What attracted you to this

organization?"
Most Recent "Describe a typical day in your
Job current/most recent position."

"What do you find most

satisfying/frustrating about the
job?"

"What is the most challenging

aspect of your position?"

"What have you learned most from

the job?" How has that contributed
to your growth?"
Work "How has your work experience
Experience prepared you for this job?"

"Describe one or two of your

greatest accomplishments and
 biggest disappointments."

"What has been the most

significant challenge you have
managed? How did you manage
it?"
Skills "What is your greatest strength that
would benefit our organization?"

"Describe a time when you worked

to meet a customer's needs."

"Tell me about a time you when

you had to evaluate a situation to
resolve a problem. What was the
situation and what actions did you
take?"
Style "How have you preferred to be
supervised in your previous jobs?"

"What type of organization do you

prefer to work for?"

"What kinds of people do you like

to work with?"
Career "How does this job fit into your
Aspirations overall career plans?"

"Where do you see yourself three

years from now?"

"In what areas would you like to

receive additional training in if you
got this job?"
Education "What courses have prepared you
for this position?"

"What got you interested in this

field and your course of study?"

Also, depending on the requirements of the position, you might ask questions that help you learn
more about characteristics such as adaptability, team effectiveness, self-control, or professional
confidence.

Inappropriate topics
You are not allowed to ask certain questions in order to protect individual rights. Topics that are
not legal to discuss in an interview include:

 Age/date of birth
 Religion
 Race
 Citizenship
 Physical attributes
 Sexual orientation
 National origin
 Marital status
 Children
 Day care arrangements
 Arrests
 Place of residence; own or rent
 Previous worker's compensation claims
 Disabilities/physical ailments
 Specific promise of salary expectations

How to reframe questions

U.S., federal, state, and local laws and regulations are clear about what questions are illegal. If
you are not familiar with these laws and regulations, consult your human resources specialist or
legal counsel.

Examples of prohibited questions and legal

ways to ask them

Topic Area: Illegal to Legal to ask:

ask:
Citizenship/ "Are you "If hired, can
Nationality a citizen you show
of the proof of your
 United eligibility to
States?" work in the
United
States?"
Marital "Do you "This position
Status/Children/Day have requires travel
Care Arrangements children and work on
that you weekends.
need to Would you be
bring to able to meet
day these
care?" requirements?
"
Religion "What is "This job
your requires that
religion? you work
" weekends.
Would you be
able to meet
this
requirement?"
Disabilities/Physical "Do you "This job
Ailments have any requires that
health- you lift 50
related pounds. Are
issues you able to
that meet this
would requirement?"
prohibit
you from
doing
this job?"
Age/Date of Birth "How "If hired, can
old are you show
you?" proof that you
are at least 18
years of age?"

Key Idea: Decision-making matrix

Key Idea

A decision-making matrix can be a helpful tool for comparing the candidates to one another. To
create a decision-making matrix, list your candidates along one side of a grid and list your job
requirements across the top. Decide on a scoring system that you will use to rank each
candidate's fit with each of the job [Link], fill in the matrix using the evaluation
notes you have made on the interview guides.

Certain data should be used to create your evaluation:

 Personal characteristics
 Education/training
 Essential performance factors
 Compatibility with organizational culture and management style
 Compatibility with the organization's reward system
 Ability to grow with and within the organization
 Elimination factors
 Essential technical experience
 Overall assessment

A decision-making matrix is an excellent tool to help you choose the best candidate for the job

Common mistakes

Even though you may take a structured, methodical approach to evaluating your candidates, the
evaluation process is still, in the end, subjective. Being aware of common mistakes can help you
remain as neutral as possible. Try to avoid:

 Being overly impressed with maturity or experience, or overly dismayed by youth and
immaturity
 Mistaking a quiet, reserved, or calm demeanor for lack of motivation
 Mistaking the person's ability to play "the interview game," or his or her ability to talk
easily, for intelligence or competence
 Allowing personal biases to influence your assessment; you might be tempted to judge
the candidate harshly or discredit the opinions of your team members because the
candidate reminds you of someone you dislike
 Looking for a friend or for a reflection of yourself in the candidate
 Assuming that graduates of certain institutions or former employees of certain
organizations are automatically better qualified
 Giving too much weight to familiarity with the jargon of your business
 Focusing only on one or two key strengths and overlooking the absence of other key
characteristics
 Failing to value motivation to get ahead
 Ignoring feedback from team members and looking at the candidate from your
perspective only
 Weighing the impact this person will have on your position, such as improvements to
processes that may impact your job

Check references
Reference checks verify claims made by the candidate during the interview process and fill in
information gaps. They can also provide valuable outside perspectives on the candidate and his
potential fit with the position.

Check references near the end of the process when you are close to making a personal decision.
If you have not already discussed this with the candidates, be sure to obtain permission to avoid
affecting someone's current employment.

Use the telephone or e-mail to check references. Don't check references via letter; you probably
won't get much information. When checking references:

 Take a little time to build rapport with the reference

 Briefly describe the job that the candidate is applying for
 Beware of the legal ramifications of asking and answering inappropriate questions
 Ask about the candidate's style, character, strengths, and weaknesses
 Ask tough questions and follow up with detailed probes

Sample Questions to Check References

Instead of asking: Ask:

Did Jack do a good "What was Jack best at?"
job managing his
department? "What did his
subordinates like best
about him?"

"What did they like least?"

"Are there any jobs that

would be inappropriate for
Jack?"

"What kind of
organizational
environment would suit
Jack best?"

The final decision

Résumés, interviews, and reference checks all inform the decision-making process. At some
point, you must ask yourself, "Do we have sufficient information to make a decision?"

If the answer is "yes," you are ready to make the hiring decision. Rank your top three candidates,
make the offer to the top-ranked candidate, and prepare to be rejected by your first choice. You
may have to make more than one job offer.

If the answer is "no, we have insufficient information," then ask yourself these questions:

 "What additional information do we need to make a decision?"

 "What uncertainties can we reasonably expect to reduce?"
 "Do the candidate's strengths outweigh his or her weaknesses?"
 "What can be taught on the job or developed with formal training?"

Handle the remaining uncertainties to the extent that time and cost constraints permit. You may
call some candidates back for another interview, or you may get additional team members
involved in the process. Then, move to a decision.

The job offer

Be sure you understand your organization's policy on who makes the job offer. In some
organizations, the immediate supervisor or manager makes the offer. In others, the human
resources department makes the offer.

Job offers are usually made in person or by telephone. Be sure to:

 Make the offer with enthusiasm.

 Make the offer personal by referring to something positive that you recall about the
interview.
 Continue to gather information from the candidate regarding his or her concerns, the
timing of the decision, and other organizations he or she may be considering.
 Provide a time frame for the offer so that the candidate knows how much time he or
she has to respond.
The offer letter

After extending a verbal offer, you should also send an offer letter. An offer letter is an official
document, so be sure to seek advice from the appropriate channels before sending one. It is
important to avoid implying that the offer is an employment contract. Include important facts in
the letter, such as:

 Starting date
 Job title
 Expected responsibilities
 Compensation
 Benefits summary
 Time limit for accepting the offer

Sample offer letter

January 1, 2008

Mr. John Smith

<Home Address>

Dear John:

It is my pleasure to formally offer you the

position of Producer at XYZ Corporation. You
will report to Sarah Jones, Executive Producer.
Your base salary will be $1,500 semi-monthly,
which is equivalent to $36,000 annually. Your
start date will be Monday, January 25. For a
summary of your benefits, please see the
attached folder of information.

Consistent with XYZ's policy, the first three

months of employment are an orientation and
review period during which either the staff
member or the employer may terminate
employment if, for any reason, the placement is
unsuitable.

Please indicate your acceptance of this offer by

signing the enclosed copy of this letter and
returning it and the enclosed forms to me within
one week of this date.
 I look forward to meeting you and having you
join the staff at XYZ. Please contact me if you
have any questions about your new position.

Sincerely,

Vice President, Human Resources

AGREED AND ACCEPTED BY:

__________________________
_____________
John Smith Date

cc: President and CEO

     Sarah Jones

Overview

This section provides interactive exercises so you can practice what you've learned. These
exercises are self-checks only; your answers will not be used to evaluate your performance in the
topic.

Scenario

Assume the role of a manager in a fictional situation and explore different outcomes based on
your choices (5-10 minutes).

Check Your Knowledge

Assess your understanding of key points by completing a 10-question quiz (10 minutes).

Scenario: Part 1

Part 1

Jacob manages ProCo's engineering team. The company has enjoyed steady growth, and Jacob
needs to expand his team to help support that success. He creates a job profile describing the
available position and advertises the opening. From the résumés he receives, he selects the most
promising candidates and schedules interviews.

His first interviewee is Toby, a woman who currently works for a leading and prestigious firm in
ProCo's industry. She arrives on time and seems pleasant and intelligent, if a bit quiet. Jacob
offers Toby a seat and chats casually for a few moments, to put her at ease. Jacob discovers that
he and Toby grew up in adjacent towns. They talk about their hometowns briefly.
Which of the following would be good questions for Jacob to ask Toby?

To continue to put Toby at ease, Jacob might ask, "What class were you in at
Plainfield High?"

 Not the best choice. In the United States, federal and state law prohibits asking
questions that may reveal a candidate's age, such as when he or she graduated from
high school or college. Because Jacob and Toby grew up in adjacent towns, it may
seem natural for him to ask her this question—but doing so is actually illegal.


To learn more about Toby's work experience, Jacob could ask, "In what ways did you
contribute to your team's effort in your last position?"

 Correct choice. Such accomplishment-related questions will help get Toby talking.
They also will provide evidence of her demonstrated behavioral qualities. Her answers
will reveal why and how she accomplished something she considers important, as well
as suggest her level of involvement in the accomplishment.


To assess Toby's attitude toward teamwork, Jacob might ask, "Would you say you
have a lot to offer this team?"

 Not the best choice. A question like this is leading—it directs the candidate to answer
with what Jacob wants to hear. Of course, Toby is going to say that she thinks she has
a lot to offer Jacob's team. Leading questions won't help Jacob achieve his main
objective in the interviewing process: to get as much information as possible from
each candidate so that he can make an informed choice.

Scenario: Part 2

Part 2
As Jacob asks Toby more accomplishment-related questions, she begins talking about her
previous work experiences. However, she answers slowly, with long gaps between comments.
She seems a bit unsure of herself, and occasionally redirects the interview by asking Jacob
several questions about the engineering team and ProCo.

Jacob wonders whether Toby is simply nervous or shy or if, perhaps, she has concerns about the
job or ProCo in general. He finds the whole situation awkward but doesn't know how to get the
interview back on track.

What should Jacob do to regain control of the interview?

When Toby pauses after providing an answer, fill in the gap with a brief summary of
what she just said to smooth the transitions between topics

 Not the best choice.

This approach is more helpful with a candidate who is getting too wordy during an
interview—which isn't the case with Toby. Instead of summarizing, Jacob should use
other tactics to get Toby talking, such as smiling and nodding before he jumps in with
a comment or another question, or building on Toby's responses in his follow-up
questions.

Answer Toby's questions briefly. Then continue to move forward with his own
questions, so he can get answers to each question on his prepared list

 Not the best choice.

A better way to encourage Toby to talk more is to build on her responses while asking
follow-up questions to those he has already asked. By moving forward too quickly
with his remaining questions, Jacob will probably just keep getting more superficial
responses from Toby, rather than the in-depth information he needs to evaluate her
qualifications.

Ask Toby to hold any questions she may have until the end of the interview, so he can
ask most of the questions
  Correct choice.

Jacob's goal during an interview is to ask most of the questions and do most of the
listening. In fact, he should be listening 80% of the time. Though Toby's questions are
important, he needs to turn the conversation back to the lines of inquiry he has
prepared for the interview. One way to do that is to suggest deferring questions until
the end of the interview, and to gently steer Toby back to the topic at hand.

Scenario: Part 3

Part 3

By regaining control of the interview with Toby, Jacob discovers that she has valuable
experience and strong motivation to advance in her career.

Over the coming week, he interviews the other candidates. He narrows the list to two
individuals: Toby and Lars, a seasoned engineer who came across as very comfortable and
confident during his interview.

Jacob conducts second interviews with Toby and Lars. During these conversations, both
candidates continue to impress him, though for different reasons. Now he faces the tough
question: Which one should he offer the job to? He constructs a matrix in which he ranks each
candidate's fit with each of the job requirements. But he knows that the final choice will still be
subjective. In addition to using the matrix, he decides to consider other, less quantifiable
characteristics of the candidates.

What other characteristics should Jacob consider in selecting a candidate?

Toby's current position at a leading and prestigious firm within the industry

 Not the best choice.

Just because a candidate works for a highly respected organization doesn't

automatically mean that he or she is better qualified than other candidates. To remain
as neutral as possible in weighing Toby and Lars' qualifications, Jacob should take
care not to give too much weight to this fact.
 

Lars' ability to converse comfortably and confidently during the interview

 Not the best choice.

Too many managers make the mistake of assuming that a candidate's ability to "play
the interview game" (that is, to talk easily) indicates intelligence or competence. Lars
may indeed be smart and competent, but Jacob shouldn't give his conversational ease
too much weight while evaluating the two candidates.

Toby's strong motivation to move ahead in her career

 Correct choice.

Many managers undervalue professional motivation while assessing candidates'

qualifications. But motivation and drive can be crucial qualities in new hires. These
traits influence a person's ability to focus, to devote energy to his or her work, and to
master new skills—valuable characteristics in any employee.

Scenario: Conclusion

Conclusion

After carefully weighing both objective and subjective factors, Jacob decides to offer Toby the
job. She accepts, and Jacob looks forward to welcoming her to ProCo and his team.

Hiring right isn't easy. But you can boost your chances of success by asking accomplishment-
related legal questions during interviews, maintaining control of interviews, and avoiding several
common pitfalls in evaluating candidates. Together, these three strategies help you identify the
most promising candidate for the job.

Activity: Check Your Knowledge: Question 1

When defining job requirements, you consider four areas. Three of these areas are primary
responsibilities and tasks, background characteristics, and personal characteristics. What is the
fourth area you should consider?
 

Organizational structure and culture

 Correct choice.

By considering organizational structure and culture in addition to responsibilities and

background and personal characteristics, you can more easily determine the attributes
a job candidate would need to fit in with the organization as a whole.

The amount of compensation available for the position

 Not the best choice.

Compensation is something you would include in your job description, not an area
you would consider while defining job requirements. The correct answer is
"Organizational structure and culture." By considering organizational structure and
culture in addition to responsibilities, background, and personal characteristics, you
can more easily determine the attributes a job candidate would need to fit in with the
organization as a whole.

The hiring and reporting manager

 Not the best choice.

The hiring and reporting manager would eventually be listed in the job description,
not considered while you are defining job requirements. The correct answer is
"Organizational structure and culture." By considering organizational structure and
culture in addition to responsibilities, background, and personal characteristics, you
can more easily determine the attributes a job candidate would need to fit in with the
organization as a whole.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 2

Once you understand a position's requirements, the next step is to create a job description. What
is the purpose of a job description?

A job description enables you to see how your organization defines a particular job in
comparison to how other organizations define the same or a similar position.

 Not the best choice.

A job description does not contain information about how the job compares with
similar positions in other companies. Instead, it allows you to explain the job to
potential candidates and to resources (such as recruiting firms) you may be using to
help you identify candidates.

A job description provides you with a way to evaluate candidates and quickly
eliminate those who are unqualified.

 Not the best choice.

A job description is not intended to help you evaluate candidates and quickly
eliminate those who are unqualified. Instead, it allows you to explain the job to
potential candidates and to resources (such as recruiting firms) you may be using to
help you identify candidates.

A job description allows you to explain the job to potential candidates and to
resources you may be using to help you identify candidates.

 Correct choice.

A job description allows you to provide a thorough and consistent explanation of the
job requirements to both potential candidates and recruiting resources.
Check Your Knowledge: Question 3

What is the first step to take when you begin screening résumés?

Eliminate the candidates who do not meet the basic education and experience
requirements

 Correct choice.

By eliminating candidates who don't meet basic education and experience

requirements, you make the screening process manageable and ensure that the
candidates you consider have the background characteristics required for the position.

Eliminate the candidates who work outside the industry

 Not the best choice.

Candidates who work outside the industry may have excellent transferable experience
and skills, so you shouldn't eliminate them when you begin screening résumés.
Instead, it's best to start by eliminating the candidates who do not meet the basic
education and experience requirements. This method helps make the screening process
manageable and ensures that the candidates you consider have the background
characteristics required for the position.

Determine whether you know any of the candidates

 Not the best choice.

Knowing a candidate does not necessarily make him or her the best person for the job,
so you shouldn't favor these individuals when you begin screening résumés. Instead,
it's best to start by eliminating the candidates who do not meet the basic education and
experience requirements. This method helps make the screening process manageable
and ensures that the candidates you consider have the background characteristics
required for the position.
Check Your Knowledge: Question 4

What is the advantage of having an interview team?

The interview process is less time-consuming because several people will be sharing
the task.

 Not the best choice.

Having an interview team doesn't necessarily make the interview process less time-
consuming. The advantage to having an interview team is that each team member
brings different experiences and a different perspective to the process. This broader
view of the candidate and the position is more likely to lead to a successful hiring
decision.

Each team member brings different experiences and perspectives to the process.

 Correct choice.

The broader view of the candidate and position afforded by the team members'
different perspectives is more likely to lead to a successful hiring decision.

The hiring decision can be made more quickly because the team members can use
majority rule to select the best candidate.

 Not the best choice.

An interview team doesn't necessarily accelerate the hiring decision, nor will it
necessarily use majority rule to select the best candidate. The advantage to having an
interview team is that each team member brings different experiences and a different
 perspective to the process. This broader view of the candidate and the position is more
likely to lead to a successful hiring decision.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 5

You've decided to conduct initial in-person interviews. How many candidates might you want to
meet and how much time should you allot for each interview?

Narrow the field to two to four candidates and keep initial interviews to 15 minutes.

 Not the best choice.

This is too few candidates and too short a time to evaluate them. For initial in-person
interviews, it is best to select four to seven candidates and allow up to an hour per
candidate. For less demanding positions, you may find out everything you need to
know about each candidate in this interview. Otherwise, you will need to see the
person again.

Narrow the field to four to seven candidates and schedule 30-60 minutes per
interview.

 Correct choice.

Do your best to limit the field to four to seven candidates and allow up to an hour per
interview. For less demanding positions, you may find out everything you need to
know about the candidate in this interview. Otherwise, you may need to see the
candidate again.

Narrow the field to no more than a dozen candidates and schedule 30 minutes for each
interview.
  Not the best choice.

This is too many candidates and possibly too short a time to evaluate them. For initial
in-person interviews, it is best to limit the field to four to seven candidates and allow
up to an hour per candidate. For less demanding positions, you may find out
everything you need to know about the candidate in this interview. Otherwise, you
will need to see the person again.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 6

Which type of interview is usually most effective?

A structured interview in which all candidates answer the same set of questions.

 Not the best choice.

Though structured interviews enable you to easily compare candidates, you should
combine this structure with an unstructured approach. Unstructured interviews offer
the advantage of helping you get to know each individual. To combine these two
approaches, ask all candidates a core set of questions, but be flexible and inquire about
unique, interesting information on their résumés so you can learn more about them.

An unstructured interview in which you have unique conversations with each

candidate based on his or her individual skills and experience.

 Not the best choice.

Though unstructured interviews offer the advantage of helping you get to know each
individual, you should combine this unstructured approach with a more structured
approach. A structured interview, in which all candidates answer the same set of
questions, enables you to easily compare candidates. To combine these two
approaches, ask all candidates a core set of questions, but be flexible and inquire about
unique, interesting information on their résumés so you can learn more about them.


 An interview that combines elements of a structured and unstructured interview.

 Correct choice.

Structured interviews enable you to easily compare candidates. Unstructured

interviews offer the advantage of enabling you to get to know each individual. It's best
to combine these two approaches. Ask all candidates a core set of questions, but be
flexible and inquire about unique, interesting information on their résumés so you can
learn more about them.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 7

Which question is illegal to ask during a job interview?

"Do you have any health-related issues that would prohibit you from doing this job?"

 Correct choice.

This question is phrased in such a way that it violates the candidate's individual rights.
It's critical that you frame such a question in terms of specific job requirements. Legal
wording would be, "This job requires that you lift 50 pounds. Are you able to meet
this requirement?" If you are not familiar with these laws and regulations, consult your
human resources specialist or legal counsel prior to interviewing.

"If hired, can you show proof that you are at least 18 years of age?"

 Not the best choice.

This question is legal to ask during a job interview. The illegal question is: "Do you
have any health-related issues that would prohibit you from doing this job?" This
question is illegal because it's phrased in a way that violates the candidate's individual
rights. It's critical that you frame such a question in terms of specific job requirements.
Legal wording would be, "This job requires that you lift 50 pounds. Are you able to
 meet this requirement?" If you are not familiar with these laws and regulations,
consult your human resources specialist or legal counsel prior to interviewing.

"If hired, can you show proof of your eligibility to work in the United States?"

 Not the best choice.

This question is legal to ask during a job interview. The illegal question is: "Do you
have any health-related issues that would prohibit you from doing this job?" This
question is illegal because it's phrased in a way that violates the candidate's individual
rights. It's critical that you frame such a question in terms of specific job requirements.
Legal wording would be, "This job requires that you lift 50 pounds. Are you able to
meet this requirement?" If you are not familiar with these laws and regulations,
consult your human resources specialist or legal counsel prior to interviewing.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 8

When evaluating candidates, which of the following is important to do?

Finding a candidate who is likely to be compatible with your organizational culture

and management style

 Correct choice.

Compatibility with your organizational culture and management style is one important
criterion to consider as you're evaluating candidates. Additional criteria include
essential technical experience, ability to grow in the organization, and compatibility
with the organization's reward system, among others. Mistakes to avoid include
looking for candidates who are like you and assuming that candidates who have
worked for certain organizations will be highly qualified for the job.

Finding a candidate who is similar to you so you can be assured you will work well
together
  Not the best choice.

Looking for someone just like you is a common mistake made during the evaluation
process. Instead, you want the new hire to be compatible with your organizational
culture and management style. Additional criteria include essential technical
experience, ability to grow in the organization, and compatibility with the
organization's reward system, among others.

Finding a candidate who has worked for a direct competitor of your organization

 Not the best choice.

Assuming that former employees of certain organizations are automatically better

qualified is a common mistake made during the evaluation process. Instead, you want
the new hire to be compatible with your organizational culture and management style.
Additional criteria include essential technical experience, ability to grow in the
organization, and compatibility with the organization's reward system, among others.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 9

You are on the telephone with a candidate's reference. You hope to confirm your positive
impressions, verify claims the candidate has made, and fill in any information gaps you may
have. Which question is probably not going to give you useful information?

"What are her strengths and weaknesses?"

 Not the best choice.

Asking "What are her strengths and weaknesses?" actually would give you useful
information. The question that would not be helpful is "Did she do a good job
managing her department?" This question probably won't give you useful information
because it requires a simple "yes" or "no" response. You want more detailed responses
than that. References will likely give you more useful, detailed information when you
 ask open-ended questions about a candidate's style, character, strengths, and
weaknesses. Ask tough questions and follow up with detailed probes.

"What did her direct reports like best about her? What did they like least?"

 Not the best choice.

Asking "What did her direct reports like best and least about her?" actually would give
you useful information. The question that would not be helpful is "Did she do a good
job managing her department?" This question probably won't give you useful
information because it requires a simple "yes" or "no" response. You want more
detailed responses than that. References will likely give you more useful, detailed
information when you ask open-ended questions about a candidate's style, character,
strengths, and weaknesses. Ask tough questions and follow up with detailed probes.

"Did she do a good job managing her department?"

 Correct choice.

This question probably won't give you useful information because it requires a simple
"yes" or "no" response. You want more detailed responses than that. References will
likely give you more useful, detailed information when you ask open-ended questions
about a candidate's style, character, strengths, and weaknesses. Ask tough questions
and follow up with detailed probes.

Check Your Knowledge: Question 10

What is the purpose of an offer letter?

An offer letter is used to make the initial job offer to the selected candidate.
  Not the best choice.

You would most likely make the initial job offer by phone, not through a letter. An
offer letter is used as a follow-up measure after the initial offer is made by phone. It
outlines the job responsibilities and terms of the offer.

An offer letter is sent to the candidate after the initial offer is made by phone to
summarize the terms of the offer.

 Correct choice.

An offer letter is used as a follow-up measure after the initial offer is made by phone.
It outlines the job responsibilities and terms of the offer, but is not an employment
contract.

An offer letter is an employment contract that outlines the terms of the offer and
which the candidate needs to sign and return to you to accept the position.

 Not the best choice.

An offer letter is not an employment contract; the contract is a separate document. An

offer letter is used as a follow-up measure after the initial offer is made by phone. It
outlines the job responsibilities and terms of the offer.

Check Your Knowledge: Results

Your score:
Steps for recruiting candidates

1. Define job requirements.

 A clear definition of the job requirements will help you determine what will make for
a good fit between an individual's skills and personal attributes and the needs of the
job and the organization. To define the job requirements, you need to determine the:

o Primary responsibilities and tasks involved in this job

o Background characteristics needed to perform the job (education and
experience)
o Personal characteristics required (analytical and creative abilities, decision-
making style, interpersonal skills, motivation)
o Key features of your organization's culture (team-orientation, degree of
conformity)
2. Develop a job description.

A job description allows you to explain the job both to potential candidates and to
resources you may be using to help you identify candidates. Keep in mind that this is
an opportunity to redesign a job, not simply to fill the current position. Your job
description should include the following:

o Job title, business unit, organization

o Summary of the job tasks, responsibilities, and objectives
o Hiring manager, reporting manager
o Compensation, hours, location
o Background characteristics required
o Personal characteristics required
3. Get the word out.

You will want to get the word out through as many relevant channels as possible to
maximize the number of qualified applicants in your candidate pool. Typical channels
include:

o Recruiting agencies
o Newspaper ads
o Referrals from colleagues
o Trade publications
o Professional associations
o Networking
o Colleges and universities
o The Internet (recruitment Web sites and your company's Web site)
o Job fairs
o Also, make sure that your communications about the job reflect your
company's interest in diversity.
4. Screen résumés.

When you have a large number of résumés to review, use a two-step process to make
your task more manageable.
 In the first pass, eliminate the résumés for those candidates who do not meet the basic
requirements of the job. Specific aspects of the résumés to examine could include:

o Signs of achievement and results, for example, profit orientation, stability, or

career direction
o Progressive career momentum
o A career goal in line with the job being offered
o Willingness to work hard
o Overall construction and appearance of the résumé, although this criterion may
not apply to résumés submitted via an online form

In the second pass, consider the more subtle differences among qualified candidates.

o Compare the résumé to the technical (education and experience) skills and
personal characteristics required
o Consider the differences among qualified candidates and weigh the strengths
and weaknesses of each

Then develop a list of the strongest candidates.

Be on the alert for red flags that can signal weakness in a résumé.

Steps for asking interview questions

1. Find out how the candidate learned about your organization and the position.
o "What attracted you to this company?" "This position?"
o "How did you hear about the job opening?"
2. Learn about a candidate's most recent job.
o "How did you get your present job?"
o "What are your areas of responsibility?"
o "Describe a typical day in your current/most recent position."
o "What do you find most satisfying about the job?" "Why?"
o "What do you find most frustrating about the job?" "Why?" "How do you deal
with these frustrations?"
o "What is the most challenging aspect of your position?" "Why?"
o "What have you learned most from the job?" "How has that contributed to your
growth?"
o "If we were to ask your present employer about your abilities, what would she
or he say?"
o "How would your direct reports describe you?" "Your peers?"
o "What would your current or most recent manager say your greatest
contribution has been?"
3. Gather information about a candidate's actual work experience.
o "How has your work experience prepared you for this job?"
o "Describe for me one or two of your greatest accomplishments and biggest
disappointments."
 o "What has been the most significant challenge you have managed?" "How did
you manage it?"
o "What is the most creative achievement you have experienced at work?"
o "What can you say about yourself that has contributed to your success?"
o "Can you tell me about a new initiative or procedure you have worked on that
had a positive impact?"
o "Give me two examples of good decisions and two examples of poor decisions
you have made in your work life."
o "Describe a time when your job performance fell short of expectations."
o "What qualities can you bring to this position?"
o "Give me an example of your ability to supervise others."
4. Assess a candidate's skills.
o "Do you consider yourself a self-starter?" "If so, explain why." "Give
examples."
o "What is your greatest strength that would benefit our organization?"
o "How have you positively influenced others to get a job done?"
o "Describe a decision that you made when you did not have all the pertinent
information."
o "Tell me about a time you made a decision quickly."
o "How have you supported a new policy or procedure with which you have
disagreed?"
o "In what ways do you motivate your direct reports?" "Your peers?"
o "Describe a situation when you had to seek out information, analyze it, and
make a decision."
o "Describe a recent decision that you made that had high risks associated with
it. How did you make this decision?"
5. Assess a candidate's style/fit with the organization.
o "Of all the jobs you have had, which did you like the most?" "Why?"
o "How have you preferred to be supervised in your previous jobs?"
o "What role have your past supervisors played in supporting you in your job?"
"Your career?"
o "What type of organization do you prefer to work for?"
o "Do you prefer working in groups or alone?"
o "Describe a work group experience that you found rewarding."
o "What qualities do you value in your supervisor?"
o "In what types of environments do you feel most effective?"
o "How much direction and feedback do you need to be successful?"
o "What is most exciting to you about change?" "What is most frustrating about
it?"
o "How have you dealt with organizational changes?"
o "How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?"
o "How would your supervisor describe you?"
o "What was the most difficult management decision you had to make?"
o "What kinds of people do you like to work with?"
o "What type of person do you find it most difficult to work with?" "Why?"
 o "What things frustrate you the most at work?" "How do you cope with them?"
6. Get a sense of a candidate's career aspirations and goals.
o "What are some of the things you would like to avoid in your next job?"
"Why?"
o "Why are you leaving your present job?"
o "How does this job fit into your overall career plans?"
o "Where do you see yourself three years from now?"
o "How have your career aspirations changed over the years?" "Why?"
o "What would you most like to accomplish if you got this job?"
7. Learn about a candidate's education.
o "What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for this
job?"
o "How have these areas prepared you for this job?"
o "What areas would you most need/like additional training in if you got this
job?"
o "What aspects of your education or training will be useful for this job?"
o "What are your educational goals?"
8. As appropriate for the job, ask about a candidate's experience with customer
service and explore the degree to which he or she works to satisfy the customer.
o "Describe a time when you dealt with a particularly stressful situation or with a
hostile colleague or customer?"
o "What was the situation?"
o "What actions did you take?"
o "What did you say?"
o "What was the response or reaction?"
9. Explore a candidate's degree of self-control.
o "Describe a time when you dealt with a particularly stressful situation or with a
hostile colleague or customer?"
o "What was the situation?"
o "What actions did you take?"
o "What did you say?"
o "What was the response or reaction?"
10. Explore a candidate's ability for critical thinking, or the degree to which he or
she can solve a problem.
o "Tell me about a time when you had to evaluate a situation in order to resolve
a problem."
o "What was the situation?"
o "What actions did you take?"
o "What was the outcome?"
o "How did you know you were successful?"
11. Determine a candidate's degree of results orientation or the degree to which he or
she consciously improves performance.
o "Describe a time when you took the initiative to improve how you worked or
how something operated (a process, system, team)."
o "What led to the situation?"
o "What actions did you take?"
 o "What was the outcome?"
o "How did you know your solution was an improvement?"
12. As appropriate for the job, explore a candidate's team effectiveness and level of
cooperation.
o "Describe a time when you assisted others or "team members" to accomplish a
task or goal?"
o "Describe a time when a person on the team did not carry his/her own weight."
o "What was the task or goal?"
o "What role did you play?"
o "How did you assist the others?"
o "What was the final result?"
13. Explore a candidate's adaptability.
o "Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a new work environment or
situation, or when a situation changed while you were in the midst of it"
o "What was the situation?"
o "How did you confront the changes you faced?"
o "What actions did you take?"
o "What was the outcome?"
14. Get a sense of a candidate's professional confidence and the degree of belief in his
or her ability to accomplish goals and solve problems.
o "Tell me about a time when you had to remain poised in a challenging or
unusual situation?"
o "What did you do to assess the situation?"
o "What were some of the issues involved?"
o "What steps did you take?"
o "What was the outcome?"

Steps for making the hire

1. Evaluate the candidates.

o Use an interview guide to record your thoughts on each candidate.
o Score each individual on the decision-making matrix.
o Reflect on the top-scoring candidates. Are you comfortable with the
prioritization the scores indicate? Note any remaining concerns or questions
you have, and explore them when you check references.
o Be sure to remain as objective as you can in your assessments.
2. Check references.

Use the telephone or e-mail to check references. Don't check references via letter; you
probably won't get much information.

o Take a little time to build rapport with the reference.

o Briefly describe the job that the candidate is applying for.
o Ask about the candidate's style, character, strengths, and weaknesses.
o Ask tough questions and follow up with detailed probes.
 o Beware of the legal ramifications of asking and answering inappropriate
questions.
3. Extend an offer.

Be sure you understand your organization's policy on who makes the job offer. In
some organizations, the immediate supervisor or manager makes the offer. In others,
the human resources department makes the offer.

Job offers are usually made in person or by telephone.

o Make the offer with enthusiasm.

o Make the offer personal. Refer to something positive that you recall about the
interview.
o Continue to gather information from the candidate regarding his or her
concerns, timing of the decision, and other organizations he or she may be
considering.

Follow up on the verbal offer by sending an offer letter, which should summarize all
of the important facts about the offer. The letter is an official document—be sure to
craft the it carefully, and seek expert advice if necessary.

Be prepared to make the offer to the next ranked candidate if your first choice
declines.

Tips for finding the right person

 Consider current employees.

 Hire from outside your organization to bring in new outlooks, skills, and experiences.
 Know what kind of person you're looking for to locate a good fit.
 Remember that a person's past job performance is the surest guide to future
performance.
 Remember that a good job fit = the right education + the right experience + a
compatible personality.
 Beware of the "just like me" trap. Focus on the objective requirements of the job and
the candidate's qualifications.

Tips for screening résumés

 Review the résumé, keeping the job description and requirements in mind.
 Spend the smallest amount of your time on eliminating the least likely candidates and
the greatest amount of your time carefully considering the most likely candidates.
 Separate fluff from substance. Focus on the core of the candidate's accomplishments.
 Avoid comparing candidates to each other. Instead, compare each candidate to the
high-performer candidate profile and look for a match.
 Be aware of your personal biases and how they may affect the screening process.
  Keep market trends in mind; a shorter employment tenure and/or career and industry
crossover is common and accepted in many industries.

Tips for conducting the interview

 Control the situation. It's your show.

 Don't buy first impressions. You may miss the real person.
 Help interviewees feel at ease at the beginning of the interview. They'll open up and
talk more freely.
 Follow the 80/20 rule. Get the candidate to do 80% of the talking. The person asking
questions and listening is the person who's in control of the interview.
 Be prepared by formulating the interview questions in advance. Ask questions
purposefully.
 Take notes. Put candidates at ease by telling them you will be taking notes before you
begin writing.
 Don't make assumptions. Look for repeat patterns of behavior to draw conclusions
about the candidate.

Interview preparation form

Decision-making matrix worksheet
Job profile form
Why Develop Others?

“At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.”
Larry Bossidy
Former CEO, AlliedSignal

In today’s global business environment, markets and regulations change quickly. Competitors
constantly innovate. Technological changes are the norm.

In order to outmaneuver the competition and meet the demands of the moment, organizations
must be agile. They must execute flawlessly. And they must transform themselves continuously.

Are your leaders ready?

Dr. Noel M. Tichy
Professor
University of Michigan Ross School of Business

We have now entered an era where I don’t care what industry you’re in, you need leaders who
can make decisions, make judgment calls at every single level. All the way down to the interface
with the customer.

If you go to a company like Google or any of the high tech companies, a lot of the innovation
that Amazon does is happening right at the front line. Go ahead, try it, put it out there, we'll learn
from it. That cannot happen if the senior leadership doesn't have a commitment to both develop
the leadership capability, but develop the business through engaging people at all levels of the
organization.

Becoming a teaching organization

I like to tell parents that they cannot delegate their responsibility to develop their children. And I
think it is the same in an organization. Day in and day out the person that has the biggest impact
on people in the organization is the next level above and the associates around and below.  And
so to build a learning organization I say is not enough. Learning could be, you know we are
learning cooking, we are learning this or that, but teaching organizations, when I learned
something, I have a responsibility to teach my colleagues.

So everybody takes responsibility for generating new knowledge and it is not enough to be a
learner, you then have to translate it into teaching.

The Virtuous Teaching Cycle

The role of a leader is to ensure that the people who work for them and around them are better
every day. There's only one way to make people better. It's to teach them, learn from them, create
what I call "virtuous teaching cycles”, not command and control.

A virtuous teaching cycle is teach learn, teach learn. And the leader has a responsibility for
reducing the hierarchy, for having a point of view to start the discussion, but then to be
responsible to hear everyone's voice, get everyone involved in a disciplined way. It is not a free
for all. But it is the leader's responsibility to create that virtuous teaching cycle.

A wonderful example of virtuous teaching cycle is the program that Roger Enrico ran at Pepsi,
where every one of the 10 vice presidents comes with a business project.

Roger Enrico gets smarter as result of five days with 10 vice presidents, because he's learning
from them. He needs to lower the hierarchy. He needs to be open to learning. And in turn, the
people participating need to be energized and empowered to come up and engage in problem
solving.
Another example is at Best Buy, where every morning in the stores you would bring 20
associates or so together and they would review the profit and loss statement from the day
before, what we learned from the different customer segments in our stores, what we can do to
improve our performance this day. And they do that every single day. The store manager was
learning mostly from the associates on the floor.

That was a virtuous teaching cycle were everybody is teaching everybody, everybody is learning
and the result has been an incredible result at Best Buy.

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”

- Harvey S. Firestone
       Founder, Firestone Tire and Rubber Co

There are clear advantages to leader-led development.

But for many leaders, taking on teaching, coaching, and other development responsibilities can
seem daunting. You might avoid taking on these roles due to lack of time, resources, or your own
lack of comfort with this role.  

The following tips and resources can help you impart valuable learning to your team every day.

To develop others…
• Start with a Teachable Point of View

The first requirement of being able to develop other leaders is to have what I call a teachable
point of view. I often give the example of, if I ran a tennis camp and you just came to day one of
the tennis camp, I better have a teachable point of view on how I teach tennis. So you are
standing there looking at me and it has got four elements. One, the ideas, well how do I teach the
backhand, the forehand, the serve, rules of tennis. Then if I am a good tennis coach, I have a set
of values. What are the right behaviors I want, how do I want you to dress, how do I want you to
behave on the tennis court.

But if that's all I have, what do I do? Show you a power point presentation and then expect you
to hit 500 backhands, 500 serves, run around for eight hours. I have to have a teachable point of
view on emotional energy. How do I motivate you to buy in to the ideas and values?

On one end of the spectrum it could be I threaten you with corporal punishment, the other I can
give you stock options, I can make you feel good about yourself, I can help you develop as a
human being, what motivates you.

And then finally, how do I make the tough judgment calls, the yes/no, decisions as the tennis
coach, the ball is in, the ball is out. I don't hire consultants and set up a committee, it is yes/no.
And the same with running a business, what are the products, services, distribution channels,
customer segments that are going to grow top line growth and profitability of the organization.
What are the values that I want everyone in the organization to have, how do I emotionally
energize thousands of people, and then how do I make the yes/no, judgments on people and on
business issues. So the fundamental building block of being able to develop other leaders is to
have that teachable point of view just like the tennis coach.

To develop others…
• Lead with questions

Questions are hugely important because you want to create dialogue and again, what I call a
virtuous teaching cycle where the teacher learns from the students and vice versa. Which means
everybody ought to be free to ask whatever is on their mind, whatever it will take to get clarity
and understanding, but it is not the leader just coming in and freeform asking questions. I believe
the leader has a responsibility for framing the discussion, for having as best they can a teachable
point of view, they may need help from their people in flushing it out, but they need to set the
stage but then it has to be a very interactive, what I call virtuous teaching cycle environment,
teach learn, teach learn, teach learn.

To develop others…
• Make it part of your routine

A good example to me of an outstanding leader developing other leaders is Myrtle Potter who at
the time I am commenting was Chief Operating Officer of Genentech running the commercial
side of the business. And she would take time at the end of every single meeting and do some
coaching of the whole team on how we could perform as a team better, and then she would often
take individuals and say, could we spend 10 minutes over a cup of coffee, I want to give you
some feedback and coaching on that report that you just presented on or how you are handling a
particularly difficult human resource issue, but it was part of her regular routine.  And I think the
challenge for all of us as leaders is to make that a way of life and it is built into the fabric of how
we lead and it is not a one off event, three times a year. It is happening almost every day.

To develop others…
• Make it a priority

One of the biggest challenges in getting people kind of on this path is to overcome some of their
own resistance, either fear or the way I view the world I don't have time for this, everybody can
make time. Roger Enrico is CEO of Pepsi. He didn't have time to go off for a week at a time and
run training sessions. He had to readjust his calendar. So it requires you to look in the mirror and
say, is this important. If it is important, of course I can make the time. Then I have to get over
my own anxiety on how well I can do it, but it is a commitment to get on the path that says:  this
is how I am going to drive my own performance and the performance of my colleagues.

To develop others…
• Learn to teach

I think the biggest mistake is to assume you are going to be good at it right off the bat. It is like
learning anything else.  First time you go out and try and play tennis, good luck. But you got to
stay with it and you got to engage your people in helping make you better and them better. And
so it is a journey you need to get on, not I am going to do it perfectly when I start out.

If you want to be a great leader who is a great teacher, it's very simple. You have got to dive into
the deep end of the pool. But you've got to dive into the pool with preparation. I don't want you
drowning.  I want you succeeding. It is extraordinarily rewarding for most human beings to teach
others.  I think once you can turn that switch on, it is self perpetuating. You get a lot of
reinforcement, your team is better. You perform better because your performance goes up and it
becomes this virtuous teaching cycle.

Your opportunity to develop others

We’ve heard why developing others can drive greater business results, and how to make the most
of your leader-led development efforts. The materials provided in Develop Others enable you to
create personalized learning experiences for YOUR team within the flow of their daily activities.
Use the guides and projects to engage your team quickly. And to explore how key concepts
apply to them in the context of their priorities and goals.

The value of teaching is the performance of the organization is totally dependent on making your
people smarter and more aligned every day as the world changes. In the 21st century we are not
going to get by with command and control. We are going to have to get by with knowledge
creation. The way you create knowledge in an organization is you create these virtuous teaching
cycles where you are teaching and learning simultaneously, responding to customer demands and
changes, responding to changes in the global environment. My bottom line is if you're not
teaching, you're not leading.

A leader’s most important role in any organization is making good judgments — well informed,
wise decisions about people, strategy and crises that produce the desired outcomes.  When a
leader shows consistently good judgment, little else matters.  When he or she shows poor
judgment nothing else matters.  In addition to making their own good judgment calls, good
leaders develop good judgment among their team members.

Dr. Noel M. Tichy

Professor, University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Dr. Noel M. Tichy is Professor of Management and Organizations, and Director of the Global
Business Partnership at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. The Global
Business Partnership links companies and students around the world to develop and engage
business leaders to incorporate global citizenship activities, both environmental projects and
human capital development, for those at the bottom of the pyramid. Previously, Noel was head of
General Electric’s Leadership Center at Crotonville, where he led the transformation to action
learning at GE. Between 1985 and 1987, he was Manager of Management Education for GE
where he directed its worldwide development efforts at Crotonville. He currently consults widely
in both the private and public sectors. He is a senior partner in Action Learning Associates. Noel
is author of numerous books and articles, including:

For more information about Noel Tichy, visit [Link]

Share an Idea

Leaders are in a unique position to recognize the ideas and tools that are most relevant and useful
for their teams. If you only have a few minutes, consider sharing an idea or tool from this topic
with your team or peers that is relevant and timely to their situation.

For example, consider sending one of the three recommended ideas or tools below to your team
with your comments or questions on how the idea or tool can be of value to your organization.
By simply sharing the item, you can easily engage others in important conversations and
activities relevant to your goals and priorities.
Steps for recruiting candidates
Interview preparation form
Steps for making the hire
To share an idea, tip, step, or tool with your comments via e-mail, select the EMAIL link in the
upper right corner of the page that contains the idea, tip, step, or tool that you wish to share.

Discussion 1: Getting the information you need

When your team members need to fill an open position, they may fully understand the
requirements of the job. But they may be unsure of how to get the information they need during
interviews to decide if a candidate would be a good fit for the job. Your people may be
wondering, "What topics should I cover during the interview?" and "What questions should I
ask?"

If your team members don't ask the right questions and use the right approaches during job
interviews, they can't evaluate candidates effectively. At best, that means wasting everyone's
time. At worst, it means possibly hiring the wrong person for the job.

Use these resources to lead a discussion with your team about how to get the information they
need to make a well-informed hiring decision.

Download resources:
Discussion Invitation: Getting the Information You Need
Discussion Guide: Getting the Information You Need
Discussion Slides: Getting the Information You Need (optional)
Tips for Preparing for and Leading the Discussion
Note: If your team has only a few members who currently or may need to make hiring decisions,
consider partnering with a colleague to co-lead this discussion for your combined teams.
Working through the discussion guide can take up to 45 minutes. If you prefer a shorter 15- or
30-minute session, you may want to focus only on those concepts and activities most relevant to
your situation.

Discussion 2: Evaluating job candidates

When your team members need to evaluate job candidates they’ve interviewed, they may be
wondering how, exactly, to identify the best person for the job. There are many considerations to
weigh, and your people may have interviewed numerous candidates for the position in question.

The key to tackling this challenge is to take a disciplined approach to evaluating the candidates.
Ranking each candidate’s fit with each requirement of the job helps. So does gaining familiarity
with — and avoiding — common mistakes hiring managers make while evaluating job
candidates.

Use these resources to lead a discussion with your team about how to evaluate job candidates
effectively — so they ultimately pick the right person for the job.

Download resources:
Discussion Invitation: Evaluating Job Candidates
Discussion Guide: Evaluating Job Candidates
Discussion Slides: Evaluating Job Candidates (optional)
Tips for Preparing for and Leading the Discussion
Note: If your team has only a few members who currently or may need to make hiring decisions,
consider partnering with a colleague to co-lead this discussion for your combined teams.

Working through the discussion guide can take up to 45 minutes. If you prefer a shorter 15- or
30-minute session, you may want to focus only on those concepts and activities most relevant to
your situation.

Start a Group Project

Just like any change effort, successfully incorporating new skills and behaviors into one’s daily
activities and habits takes time and effort. After reviewing or discussing the concepts in this
topic, your direct reports will still need your support to fully apply new concepts and skills. They
will need to overcome a variety of barriers including a lack of time, lack of confidence, and a
fear of making mistakes. They will also need opportunities to hone their skills and break old
habits. To help ensure their success, you can provide safe opportunities for individuals and your
team as a whole to practice and experiment with new skills and behaviors on the job. 

For example, to encourage the adoption of new norms, you can provide your team members with
coaching, feedback, and additional time to complete tasks that require the use of new skills.
Management approaches such as these will encourage team members to experiment with new
skills until they become proficient.
Group learning projects provide another valuable technique for accelerating team members’
development of new behaviors. A group learning project is an on-the-job activity aimed at
providing team members with direct experience implementing their new knowledge and skills.
Through a learning project, team members discover how new concepts work in the context of
their situation, while simultaneously having a direct and tangible impact on the organization.

The documents below provide steps, tips, and a template for initiating a group learning project
with your team, along with two project recommendations for this topic.
Download resources:
Tips for Initiating and Supporting a Learning Project
Learning Project Plan Template
Learning Project: Define Requirements for a Position in Your Group
Learning Project: Prepare for a Hiring Interview

The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, Boris Groysberg, and Nitin Nohria. "The Definitive Guide to
Recruiting in Good Times and Bad." Harvard Business Review, May 2009.

Download file

Summary
Few companies are thinking about hiring right now, but that's a mistake. If history is any guide,
staffing will become a front-burner issue once the economic upheaval eases. Even now,
companies are running into staffing problems in emerging markets, and many will have to find
talented replacements for baby-boom retirees. Will they be able to meet their needs? Not likely,
say Fernández-Aráoz of Egon Zehnder and Harvard Business School professors Groysberg and
Nohria. Their research, conducted with scores of CEOs, HR executives, and recruiters, found
current hiring practices to be haphazard at best and inept at worst. And no wonder. Ignorant of
their staffing needs, most companies treat hiring top-level executives as an emergency. That
leaves them little choice. One study found that nearly a quarter of the time, the executive selected
was the only candidate considered. Far too few companies conduct reference checks; far too
many rely on gut reactions when judging qualifications and cultural fit.

What It Means to Work Here

Tamara J. Erickson and Lynda Gratton. "What It Means to Work Here." Harvard Business
Review, March 2007.

Download file

Summary
What distinguishes a company that has deeply engaged and committed employees from another
one that doesn't? It's not a certain compensation scheme or talent-management practice. Instead,
it's the ability to express to current and potential employees what makes the organization unique.
Companies with highly engaged employees articulate their values and attributes through
"signature experiences"—visible, distinctive elements of the work environment that send
powerful messages about the organization's aspirations and about the skills, stamina, and
commitment employees will need in order to succeed there. Whole Foods Market, for example,
uses a team-based hiring and orientation process to convey to new employees the company's
emphasis on collaboration and decentralization. At JetBlue, the reservation system is run by
agents from their homes, a signature experience that boosts employees' satisfaction and
productivity. Companies that successfully create and communicate signature experiences
understand that not all workers want the same things.

We Googled You

Diane Coutu, Jeffrey A. Joerres, Michael Fertik, John G. Palfrey Jr., and Danah M. Boyd. "We
Googled You." Harvard Business Review, June 2007.

Download file

Summary
As the CEO of Hathaway Jones, an American luxury apparel retailer, Fred Westen has spent the
past four years struggling to revamp his company's stodgy image and boost flagging sales. He's
just announced an ambitious plan to elbow in on China's fast-growing luxury goods market when
he gets a call from an old prep school friend. Fred agrees to meet his friend's daughter, Mimi
Brewster, to see whether she might be able to head up the company's flagship store in Shanghai.
Fred is impressed by Mimi's CV, and the interview goes off without a hitch, but a routine Google
search turns up information about her that could affect the company's performance in China.
News stories and photos reveal that when Mimi was fresh out of college, she'd participated in
nonviolent but vocal demonstrations—including one in front of China's San Francisco consulate
—against the World Trade Organization. As the vice president of HR urges caution, Fred
ponders hiring practices in the digital age. He knows that nothing is secret anymore—especially
among younger people, who brazenly post the most intimate details of their lives for the world to
see. If he hires Mimi, and her past conduct becomes widely known, his company's expansion
overseas could be set back. But rising stars like Mimi don't walk in the door every day. Should
Fred hire her despite her online history?

Commenting on this fictional case study are John G. Palfrey, Jr., a professor and the executive
director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School; Jeffrey A. Joerres,
the CEO of Manpower; Danah M. Boyd, a doctoral candidate at the University of California,
Berkeley, and a corporate adviser; and Michael Fertik, the CEO of ReputationDefender.
v 11.0.3.03292013 © 2011 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.    Privacy

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