Hiring employees intelligently.Editor's note Editor's Note (foaled in 1993 in Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1992 U.S. Champion 2 YO Colt Forty Niner, who in turn was a son of Champion sire Mr. Prospector and out of the mare, Beware Of The Cat. Trained by D. : We developed this new monthly column, "Excellence in Management," in response to your feedback that information on this ever-important topic would be useful to you. Many of you have also expressed - with great emphasis - that you want more SHORT articles that are quick, easy, and enjoyable to read! Dave Wiggins Dave Wiggins is an American comedian, who lives and works in New Zealand. Dave grew up in Gorham, Maine, USA and moved to New Zealand at the age of 19. In 2003 he entered the Raw Comedy Quest. is a speaker, trainer, and consultant on issues of management, sales, workplace innovation, and customer retention. He is the author of two books, including Time Management for Busy People: The Crash Course. Dave lives and works in Lakewood, Colorado The City of Lakewood is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fourth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 164th most populous city in the United States. , and can be reached at (303) 716-1885. We have committed to bring you this column, "Excellence in Management," for at least one year. Your response will determine whether or not we continue this column thereafter, so please let us know what you think! Ask questions, make comments, and write letters to the editor. Not only will we use your feedback to determine the success of this new column, we will share it with your fellow readers either in sidebars to "Excellence in Management" or as letters to the editor. We put our best effort into bringing you this new column, and strongly encourage you to let us know whether or not we have served you well. The hiring process is similar to investing. Regardless of the precautions precautions Infectious disease The constellation of activities intended to minimize exposure to an infectious agent; precautions imply that the isolation of an infected Pt is optional, but not mandatory. you take, there is always a degree of risk. Sometimes you will make mistakes. By following a few simple guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. , however, you can increase the odds of making the right hiring decision. Check 'Em Out First! Have every applicant sign two agreements right from the start. The first is permission for you to do a thorough background check before or at any time during employment. The second agreement is a release stating that the candidate will not sue any former employers for information they share with you. Consult an attorney about drafting agreements that are in compliance with current federal and state laws. Bad candidates will sometimes refuse to sign such forms, thereby eliminating themselves early in the process. Do Your Homework Once you have the signed agreements in hand, get to work. Investigate driving records and credit ratings. Verify the applicant's work history and educational background. Find out, of course, if the applicant has a criminal history. A simple background check will eliminate many undesirable candidates from further consideration. When you nix applicants based on information from a background check, however, you are legally obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to explain your reasons for doing so. Contact Past Employers If at all practical, set appointments with those who know the candidate. You will almost always learn more in a face-to-face meeting than you can in writing or on the phone. If you show a signed agreement from the candidate stating that former employers will not be sued for sharing information, many former employers will speak to you honestly and openly. To avoid lawsuits, many companies have strict policies against releasing any information about ex-employees. A good, safe question to ask is: "Given the opportunity, would you hire this person again?" If the answer is anything short of a resounding re·sound v. re·sound·ed, re·sound·ing, re·sounds v.intr. 1. To be filled with sound; reverberate: The schoolyard resounded with the laughter of children. 2. "yes," perhaps you should think twice before making any job offers. If you cannot learn what you want from a former employer, try contacting the candidate's former supervisor directly You will often get a more straightforward response from a supervisor than from someone in a personnel or human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. department. Interview Intelligently Always write out a list of open-ended questions A closed-ended question is a form of question, which normally can be answered with a simple "yes/no" dichotomous question, a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices (multiple-choice question), if one excludes such non-answer responses as dodging a to ask the candidate before the interview. (Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be answered by a simple yes or no.) Keep the list in front of you throughout the interview. Good questions may include the following: * Why do you want this job? * What do you expect from us as employers? * Why did you leave your previous employer(s)? * What skills did you learn and improve with your previous employer(s)? * What do you do particularly well? * What is your greatest weakness? * When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing? * What are your long-term goals Long-term goals Financial goals expected to be accomplished in five years or longer. ? After asking each question, shut your mouth! Let the candidate do at least 70 percent of the talking. Listen carefully and don't interrupt A signal that gets the attention of the CPU and is usually generated when I/O is required. For example, hardware interrupts are generated when a key is pressed or when the mouse is moved. Software interrupts are generated by a program requiring disk input or output. . As the candidate speaks, nod your head gently. When you think the candidate has finished answering a question, stay silent for a few seconds. Your silence will encourage the candidate to talk some more. (Counselors and psychotherapists often use such techniques, and so should you!) A job interview should last at least 30 minutes. You may be eager to discuss many issues, but don't be in a rush! Remember, candidates are often tense, even nervous at the beginning of an interview. Give them a few minutes to relax. Let them get comfortable with you. Engage in some small talk. Of course you should ask important, relevant questions, but not up front. You will usually learn more about a candidate at the end of an interview than during the first 10 minutes. Spell Out Expectations Does the position require employees to work late or on weekends and holidays? Are they required to attend out-of-town meetings or get extra training? Are they expected to do any work without compensation? Candidates have a right to know what a job requires, especially the unpleasant parts. If they are unqualified or unwilling to do what the job demands, they will often disqualify To deprive of eligibility or render unfit; to disable or incapacitate. To be disqualified is to be stripped of legal capacity. A wife would be disqualified as a juror in her husband's trial for murder due to the nature of their relationship. themselves. You should also tell the applicant how to qualify for raises and promotions. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , there should be no "surprises" after an applicant accepts a position. Always Schedule a Second Interview Never make a hiring decision right after the first interview. Even if you think the candidate would be a great employee, always schedule a second meeting. Why? Even the most productive, informative interviews will not answer every question or address every important issue. Also, sometimes you need a day or two to mentally digest what the applicant has said in the first meeting. The time between appointments will give you a chance to prepare more questions to ask at the second meeting. Hire Provisionally A smart hiring decision should include one "catch." Ask the new hire to sign an agreement stating that permanent employment will depend upon a performance review after a trial period of 60 to 90 days. This allows you an opportunity to determine whether you should keep the new hire for the long haul Long distance. Long haul implies traversing a state or a country. Contrast with short haul. . Such agreements make it easier to fire bad people early in the process without some of the legal obligations associated with terminating permanent employees. Don't Ignore Your Instincts To hire people without doing background checks and thorough interviews is both risky and reckless reckless adj. in both negligence and criminal cases, careless to the point of being heedless of the consequences ("grossly" negligent). Most commonly this refers to the traffic misdemeanor "reckless driving. . At the same time, don't ignore your gut instincts and your own good judgement. Remember, plenty of excellent, first-class candidates don't interview well or are less than perfect on paper. How would you rate your department's methods for hiring? An organization is only as good as its people, and well-managed ones have a careful, thorough process for selecting employees. Smart bosses clearly understand that when it comes to hiring, the best advice is caveat emptor [Latin, Let the buyer beware.] A warning that notifies a buyer that the goods he or she is buying are "as is," or subject to all defects. When a sale is subject to this warning the purchaser assumes the risk that the product might be either defective or (buyer beware be·ware v. be·wared, be·war·ing, be·wares v.tr. To be on guard against; be cautious of: "Beware the ides of March" Shakespeare. v. ). Author's Note: This article should not be construed as legal advice or as pertaining per·tain intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains 1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident. 2. to specific factual situations. |
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