Hiring the Best People: Is There A System?

Many of my clients are staying connected to staff, customers, or members, by having me present virtual presentations.  I provide high-impact and high-content virtual presentations through Loom, Zoom, Webex, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, Google Meet, StreamYard, and Microsoft Teams.

If you have ever suffered through a bad hire, two decisions were made:  not hiring the right person, and hiring the wrong person.

There is a system for hiring the best people.  Here are some ideas.

Be sure to review equal employment opportunity guidelines.  You want to be sure you have reviewed employment laws, so you don’t ask illegal, or inappropriate questions.  Your organization’s reputation is on the line.  Advertise in a way that provides a reasonable opportunity for everyone to be aware of the job opening.

To get a sense of the professional and personal qualities of the interviewee, take some time to really review application forms, resumes’, and letters of recommendation.  Consider an objective test that measures relevant bona fide occupational qualifications, that has been validated by the equal employment opportunity commission.

When you meet, try to give the impression that this interview is your day’s top priority.  Here are the ideal qualities of an interviewer:  they are warm, thoughtful, sensitive, good listeners, empathetic, and show interest.  So, greet the applicant by name and provide an orientation:  there will be questions from you, information about position and organization, questions from them, and inform them how long the interview will take.

During the interview be sure to include a competency component that reflects key skill and knowledge requirements.  Be sure to include some sort of behavior-based activity during the interview similar to behavior required on the job.  Include some questions about critical Incidents or hypothetical situations to inquire about how they would handle those work situations.  This will assure you that they “can do” the job, “will do” the job, and “fit” the organization.

Ask open-ended questions to get the conversation started and move to more specific questions; like a funnel.  Be sure to have an interview guide so you ask the same questions, in the same order, to everyone.

Now sell your organization, its reputation, and the advancement opportunities.

Clarify the next steps in your selection process and end the interview with a feeling of goodwill.

As you can see, there is more to it that fogging-up a mirror.

Kit Welchlin, M.A., CSP, is a nationally recognized professional motivational speaker and author and can be found at www.welchlin.com or www.SeminarsOnStress.com.