[nukkad] Hiring right-Rajababu

["rajababu" <>]

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> Foreword by Rajababu. If only things were as simple. If there was a one
page
> e-mail, which I could have sent across to all the HR persons, then all the
> negatives regarding the 'wrongly' selected  persons would just disappear.
> But one could make attempts. And so here goes...........
>
>
> Hiring right by Rebecca Richards (from the archives of HRGyan, World of
HR)
>
>
> Summary
> A good preparation is the first key step to hire the right staff.  A
> criteria list that you cannot be ignored in an interview.  Use the
majority
> of time to ask questions about the areas you really want information  on.
>
>  There is no doubt that business today is different from 20 years ago.
> Nowhere is that  more apparent than in the broad area of employee
relations,
> from hiring to firing  and all points in between.  The increasingly
complex
> network of requirements placed upon the employer and employee  has created
a
> situation in which even the most well-intentioned business person can
face
> costly lawsuits or other legal problems from simple lack of knowledge.
This
> article  concentrates on selected aspects of the hiring process. Because
> legislation  varies from province to province, the article is general in
> nature. Specific cases  and requirements should be dealt with only after
> obtaining advice from qualified experts.
>
> Recruitment and selection
> Hire right the first time. A mismatched employee will cost you thousands
of
> dollars.  Think about the wasted personnel agency fees or, if you do it
> yourself, the hundreds  of advertising dollars and the minimum of 3 days
of
> management time it took to  complete the paper work, screening,
> interviewing, and reference checking. Add the 3  to 5 days of training
time
> your staff put in, the wasted time putting the person on  payroll, the
poor
> work quality, the  mistakes, the absenteeism and the inevitable dismissal.
>
> When you sit down to choose the best candidate, be clear about the
> job/person fit. Do  not expect that you will never have to guide and train
> this employee but satisfy  yourself that she/he has the basic potential or
> "key  ingredients" that are  compatible with you.
>
> Preparation The first step is to be prepared. While we all have busy
> schedules, be aware that  research shows the likelihood of hiring the best
> candidate from an applicant pool  using an unstructured interview process
is
> as successful as a random the corner and  recruit the first person walking
> by who appeals to you your chance of a correct  match is about the same.
>
> Another compelling point is that unstructured interviews leave you
> susceptible to many  different personal biases and, as a result, increase
> the chance of a human rights  complaint being lodged against you.
>
> Start by understanding clearly what you are looking for.  overcome the
urge
> to react  when an employee says she/he is leaving. Ask questions like: Do
I
> need to replace   this position or can the tasks be reassigned or
contracted
> out? Assuming you need  someone, do you need a part-time  intermediate, a
> permanent junior or a full-time  temporary? Is the perfect person in your
> own firm waiting for a  promotion? What  about other departments? Also
> prepare and/or review the job description, has the  company cha
> nged so much that a different combination of skills would be better?
> Summarise your  thoughts with a Hiring Criteria list. A sample of a
typical
> list is provided below:
> Hiring criteria list
> Type and level of experience
> The more experience you ask for, the less training time needed but the
more
> salary  required. Think about your time vis à vis the higher cost
> "trade-off".
>
> Educational background Consider the benefit of grads from job-specific
> education programs. They come "job  ready" with a guaranteed fixed minimum
> of knowledge, skills, and ability.
>
> Computer skills Be specific about software programs and level of typist
> necessary. What are your  needs? For jobs requiring heavy usage of
> computers, request 50-60+ wpm. For
>  occasional letters and using the computer as an analytical tool, speed is
> less  important than knowledge of the  software.
>
> Other skills Does the position call for specific "sets of skills" that you
> should look for (i.e.  courses or accumulated experience in supervisory,
> project management, customer  service)?
>
> Physical requirements Any light lifting? Prolonged time in front of a
> computer screen?  Language requirements What level is required to
> competently do the job? Consider the position only, not your  preferences.
> According to recent legal rulings, if the position requires clear,
succinct
> English, particularly for dealing with clients, then it can be considered
a
> bona fide occupational requirement for the job.
>
> Personality and demeanour Tolerance for stress, team player, patient,
> flexible?
>
> Availability Is shift work necessary? Is start date  important?
>
> Work ethic Hard working, good attendance, professional?
>
> Retention The expectation is no longer "cradle to grave". Stars will stay
a
> year or two without  a promotion, good workers maybe 2 or 3 years
>
> Interview preparation Structure your interview. Aside from the above
> reasons, this ensures you are prepared  in advance and keeps the hiring
> criteria fresh in your mind. Being organised for the  interview also adds
an
> element of professionalism and leaves a good image of  yourself and your
> company in the candidate's mind.
>
> Questions Prepare questions specifically in relation to your Hiring
Criteria
> list. Write a  criterion on the left side of a piece of paper and a
> "behaviour-description" or
>  "performance-based" question relating to it on the right side. Leave room
> in the  margin for the candidate's response. "Behaviour-description"
> questions ask the
>  candidate to describe actual behaviours and events in previous jobs to
> prove her/his  ability. With "performance-based" questioning, the
applicant
> explains scenarios that
>  will be typical of the job you are hiring her/him for. For example, if
you
> need the candidate to  handle difficult clients on the phone, have her/him
> actually resolve a typical  problem in the interview, or better still,
work
> through a role-play. If the job  involves skills, which can be tested, set
> up a short series of practical tests such
>  as typing a business letter or conducting a sales call.
>
> Use very few traditional questions such as "what are your strengths and
> weaknesses" or  "tell me about your hobbies" and recognise them for what
> they are worth. They will
>  tell you something about the candidate. But will they really help you
> decide how  well he/she handles pressure or what his/her organisation or
> problem-solving  abilities are? Use the majority of time to ask questions
> about the areas you really  want information on.
>
> Tips for screening resumes Is it easily read and well-presented with
> bullets, white spaces and under two pages?
>  Beware of long narrative accounts of a personal life story with no
obvious
> thought  to format.
> Scrutinise it for the mandatory minimum experience, education and skill
> requirements.
>  Don't try to use the resume as a crystal ball into the candidate's
> personality type.
>  The face to face interview is better for finding out about personality.
> Look for periods of unemployment, gaps in work and  education history,
> overly frequent  changes in careers. Changes in employers may also be a
> concern, but keep in mind it  is now more common for aspiring, up and
coming
> employees to change positions every 2  - 3 years.
>
> Conduct telephone interviews A few relevant questions over the phone will
> save you countless hours of unnecessary
>  interviews to candidates who don't have the experience, don't want to
> commute to  your location, or have too high salary expectations. Questions
> to include are: a  brief background check, computer skills, the commute
> issue,  salary and start date.
>
> Tips and traps of interviewing The location should be presentable and free
> from interruption. Begin by explaining how  long the interview will take,
> that you will explain the job in detail and that  he/she will have an
> opportunity to answer questions. With these concerns out of the  way, the
> candidate will concentrate better. DO NOT begin with a long soliloquy
about
> yourself and your company. Get the candidate talking. Ease the tension by
> asking for  a brief history of work and school. Then ask your
pre-prepared,
> job-specific questions. Listen to the responses. Probe for answers until
you
> are satisfied you can make  a good evaluation in that particular area
(i.e.
> organisational skills). Only after  you finish the questions should you
> review the job, talk about your company,  corporate culture and
expectations
> you have from your staff. Don't oversell the  position. Point out
negatives
> as well as positives. False expectations built up  during the interview
> process are a top contributor to later disgruntlement in  today's
workforce.
> End by giving your best estimate of when you will make a decision. Be sure
> to get  back to people when you promise; your professional reputation
> depends on it.
>
> Second interviews and reference checking There is no fixed number of
> interviews. Generally, the more people who meet and  approve of the
> candidate, the better the job/person fit tends to be.   Do reference
checks
> on your best  candidates. It is a hard, investigative process but  avoid
the
> temptation to skip it. Speak to immediate supervisors only, people who
know
> the person's work, character  references are not much good because they do
> not  know the person's work. Ask questions about the areas that are still
> bothering you.  Do not contact the current employer of the applicant
unless
> you have the express  permission of that applicant and the applicant
> understands the possible  ramifications of such a contact.
>
> Avoiding discrimination in the selection process To avoid discrimination,
> keep focused on the job requirements. Think about what the  job requires
as
> opposed to what your  preferences are or what you have always had. If  a
> specific height, weight or age cannot be proven to be a bona fide
> occupational  requirement, do not make your selection based on it. A bona
> fide occupational  requirement is one, which is necessary to the economic,
> safe or effective  performance of the job.   Be aware that your
interviewing
> notes can be subpoenaed. Do not write down any fact  about a person that
is
> irrelevant to the position. Even if an applicant volunteers  the
> information, such as whether she is married or how many children she has,
it
> is  still illegal to use it for the purpose of selection and should not
> appear on any  paper related to the selection.
>
> This article is by Rebecca Richards, a director of The  fifth Option
> Outsourcing Inc.  The Fifth Option is a human resource management firm
> located in Vancouver, B.C. that
>  outsources practical, hands-on human resources services to small and
> medium-sized  businesses from various industries.
>


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