The goal of hiring is, of course, to hire the right person. But one point most of us miss is that each candidate is an opportunity to tell the world about our company and culture. Here are 7 hiring practices that I learned in workshops conducted by super-experts in hiring.
1. Modern hiring is a two-way courtesy street.
There was a time when people made people wait to stress their importance.
The candidate has reported at the appointed time. If you’re doing other work, for e.g., even if you’re talking to the president of USA ;-), stop it and show up for the appointment with the candidate. Candidates waiting endlessly and feeling restless/bored is unsightly and not a great experience for them to walk out with.
If a little delay is unavoidable and justified for some reason, then hopefully there is a water dispenser, a coffee dispenser, WiFi guest access and some magazines in the waiting lounge.
2. Love if you hate, hate if you love
Sometimes, we (un)consciouly develop bias early, which influences our attitude towards people.
If we like someone, we tend to go easy with them. We may even forgive them for murdering a 100 people and brush it off as:
Poor guy, he was in a hurry, not his fault.
On the other hand, if we dislike someone, we tend to be tough with them. Even if they saved a hundred lives, we may find something to criticize:
WTF, one of them has a bruised shin.
We may fall into this kind of a trap while hiring. If we liked them, we may go easy with them and quickly write them in, and if we didn’t like them, then we may go tough on them and quickly write them off.
Thus, we may erroneously write off a potentially suitable candidate or write in a candidate who is not all that suitable for the position.
Here’s how to deal with that:
- Write down your impression after the first few minutes into talking with the candidate – you like the candidate or you don’t like the candidate?
- Switch gears to test that opinion… love if you hate and hate if you love, and see what happens..read 3 and 4 to know what this means.
- If you liked the candidate, be tough with them…be really tough. Be skeptical, ask difficult questions. At the end of the interview, check your impression again, whether you still like the person. If you still do, then probably you are right about your positive opinion about the candidate.
- If you did not like the candidate, go easy on them. Be friendly, forgiving and open-minded. At the end of the interview, check your impression again, whether you still dislike the person. If you still do, then probably you are right about your negative opinion about the person.
This hack is helpful even in non-hiring scenarios in everyday work and life to overcome any subjectivity in understanding people.
3. Serve them a tray full of tasks
Do a simulation of each and every task that they would do in real time if they were hired (a variation of the in-tray test), to assess the Knowledge, Skills and Attitude (KSA) needed for the role.
For example, if you are hiring a social media manager, then let them write a blog and a few social media posts for each of the channels you use, prepare a slide-show, prepare an infographic, etc. Also administer a quiz on your industry knowledge, the rules, policies, hacks and best practices of each social media platform.
4. Your chance to play James Bond
Is there anyone who did not fantasize being a detective while reading Fatty, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Hercule Poirot, Perry Mason, Sherlock Holmes, etc. in your student days?
For the KSA that cannot be assessed via a written/tray test, use the competency based hiring technique. List out the competencies needed for the position and ask for anecdotes from their experience to gain insights.
For e.g., if you are hiring a team manager, you could be looking for competencies like functional management, subject matter knowledge, training, communication, planning, delegation, problem solving, etc.
Probe deeper and deeper into each anecdote.
The key here is that don’t stop with just one question and one response per anecdote. Probe deeper to assess not just the skills but also the truthfulness of the anecdote. Watch your tone. Sound like you are enthusiastic about knowing more, but not that you are trying to weigh them down (remember you are a secret agent!).
Tell me about an experience where some of your team were under-performing.. aha! so how did you deal with it… hmm, is it? so when you implemented those changes, what was the impact… Oh I see, so how did the other person react…okayyy, so how did you react to his reaction….wow, what happened after that…
5. Sometimes, one detective cannot solve a mystery
If the person you are hiring for your team has to work or coordinate with other manager(s) to a large extent, then invite them to interview the candidate along with you. It is very important to let the other manager(s) also probe if the candidate has the necessary KSA required for the position. Weigh in their opinion when you make the hiring decision.
6. Cliched questions get cliched responses
No point wasting time with questions such as – what are your weaknesses, where do you see yourself five years from now, how did you come to know about this company, why do you want to work with us…
They know our script and we know theirs 🙂
7. Thanking is very very sexy
The candidate has invested time and money in meeting you.
It’s basic courtesy to warmly thank them before they leave. Depending on company policies, if they can fill out a feedback form before they walk out, we would get data for evaluation and improvement.
