Wanted: Top-notch employees

Hiring a great employee shouldn't just be a matter of luck. "It's no secret that the most successful business owners in the future will be those who can identify quality job candidates in this hectic, revolving-door job market," said Roger Herman, author of "Keeping Good People."

"The ability to hire quality employees will be crucial to a company's success."

Kathy Franklin certainly understands the importance of hiring employees. For Franklin, owner of Select Personnel, hiring the right employees is the key to her firm's future. That's why she takes candidate interviews so seriously. As a permanent and temporary staffing firm, Select Personnel's success is dependent on Franklin and her staff finding the right employees. She understands that the more skilled she is as an interviewer, the more success her company will have.

"I take the interview process very seriously," said Franklin, who interviews as many as 30 candidates a week. "It's the lifeblood of my business."

Unfortunately, many business owners don't take interviews as seriously. This can be a mistake.

"I've worked with clients who have made poor hiring decisions and then find themselves with all kinds of problems," said Virginia Kirkpatrick, owner of CVK Personnel Management and Training Specialists. "Interviewing is a big part of the overall puzzle. The employer's job is to put together the puzzle to get a clear idea about a candidate."

The following are five steps to improve the interview process:

1. Prepare a job description

Some of the most important work in choosing an employee takes place before you place an ad, call a placement service or interview the first candidate.

The first thing to do is prepare a detailed job description. A good description will contain the responsibilities and requirements of the job. The more specific the description, the greater your chances of weeding out unqualified applicants.

You should also have an idea of the ideal candidate. Employers should paint a picture for themselves of the ideal candidate, including skills and attitudes.

2. Review the resume

Using the job description as a guide, the resume can be a revealing road map as to whether an applicant is right for the job.

While examining the resume, ask yourself: Is it well-written, or is it full of errors in spelling and grammar? Does it concisely describe the candidate's abilities and background, or is it laden with buzzwords and jargon? Also, watch out for red flags such as demotions, inconsistencies, conflicting dates or many job changes.

Gaps in employment can also be a red flag. However, employers must keep in mind that employees move around more often today. "St. Louis tends to be a conservative city," said Larry Weinberg, vice president of Accounting Career Consultants. "In this job market, people are changing jobs more often. Sometimes, businesses must become more flexible. People get screened out because they've had too many jobs, especially in a conservative city where people like consistency."

Weinberg, whose firm sees as many as 50 resumes a day, said interviewers should find out why they've held the jobs. "Really look into the reasons they are leaving, because you may be missing out on a good person," Weinberg said.

3. The interview

The actual interview process will answer three questions about the applicant.

• Does the applicant have the skills to do the job?
  
  
• Will the applicant be motivated to do the job?
  
  
• How well will the applicant fit into the organization?

"You want to determine if the candidate is a good fit," Kirkpatrick said. "People don't do well if there is not a good fit."

Effective interviewers ask open-ended questions designed to encourage candidates to speak expansively about their experiences and qualifications. Avoid yes-or-no questions and give candidates the opportunity to expound on their feelings. You are trying to determine how the individual made previous decisions in his or her life in hopes of gaining some insight into what will be priorities in evaluating future options.

Building business scenarios is a good way for interviewers to probe the decision-making abilities and attitudes of candidates. Interviewers should build scenarios where candidates are asked to handle particular problems.

Mel Weinberg, owner of Accounting Career Consultants and HR Career Consultants said businesses should be honest with candidates during an interview. "One of the biggest reasons for a hire that doesn't work out is the failure of the employer to let the prospective employee know what to expect when they show up for work," Weinberg said. "A business must talk about the culture of the company or the department and let the interviewee know what will be expected from him or her."

Interviews are too important to be rushed, so don't sandwich them into your schedule. Set aside enough time to gather and assess the facts and information.

Here are some questions to ask that might help you find the right candidate:

1. What were your responsibilities in your prior job?
   
   
2. Why did you leave?
   
   
3. What did you enjoy about the work? What turned you off?
   
   
4. Why did you pick our company?
   
   
5. Why should we hire you?
   
   
6. What are your job expectations? What do you hope to learn and accomplish?
   
   
7. Where do you see yourself in five years?
   
   
8. What are your greatest strengths?
   
   
9. What areas do you need to work on?
   
   
10. What aspect of the work do you think you will enjoy most?
    
    
11. What aspect of the work do you think you will enjoy least?

4. The second interview

Select Personnel's Franklin is a big advocate of second interviews, and interviews with more than one employee at the business. "The team interview is very important," Franklin said. "That second person might not hit it off with the applicant, and he or she may have to work with that person."

At the end of each interview, let the candidate know what will happen next. Remember, the candidate today could be a major client in five years. Whether or not they are hired, you want candidates to feel they've been dealt with professionally.

5. Check references

Once you find a couple of applicants you're considering hiring, check their references. Don't assume their resumes are accurate. The only way to prevent a hiring mistake is by calling employers and personal references.

These days, getting and giving job references without getting sued can be a human resources minefield. A good rule of thumb is to check references even if 70% of the answers you get are the standard start/ending date responses. Otherwise, if the person does some injury in your employ, it might later be shown that you failed to exercise reasonable care.

"I would certainly call the last three employers," Kirkpatrick said. "I would ask if he or she worked there and what about the job title. This is not discriminatory. I want to verify this person is telling me the truth. If they are dishonest about their past, you certainly don't want to hire them."

If previous employers will offer information, employers should probe the candidate's quality of work, attitude, strong points, motivational influences. It is important to realize that not all businesses will cooperate. Some businesses will not answer any questions other than employment dates and salary ranges.

While these interviewing tips will help business owners, Mike Forbes, owner of HR Management Solutions, said the best hiring advice is to recruit every day. "You don't want to put yourself in a situation where you need someone right now," Forbes said. "So many businesses find themselves in a bind. That can be a real problem."

This doesn't mean you should have an ad in the classifieds every day, even if you don't have room to hire. You meet new people every day — and some of them could make good employees. Remember their names and give them a sense of your business. Also, networking with trade associations, your local chamber of commerce, or customers or vendors might prove fruitful.

- Ron Ameln. Republished with permission of the St. Louis Small Business Monthly. March 2001.