How To Hire the Right Employees

In his book, Good to Great, author Jim Collins makes no secret of the importance of having the right people working in your company. In fact, getting the right ones on the train and the wrong ones off is the single most important thing a company can do to make itself stronger.

In short, a company is little more than its people. As important as the technology, the marketing expertise, the hardware, and the entire physical plant are, they are but tools in the hands of people who will either maximize or minimize their value. The current recessive economy makes this a buyer’s market in the hiring arena. And the most important decision you will make with reference to your personnel will be in the area of hiring. Hire smart, and you will train little and have to discipline hardly at all.

The Ad

Let’s start with your ad—online or in print. Do not run the typical “Help Wanted” ad, emphasizing a company need. You don’t want just anyone. When you go the “We need…” route, you are putting yourself in the supplicant’s position-—telling the prospective hire that he or she is in control and the negotiating will start with you on the short end.

No. You have an opportunity for the right person. Say that. “We have an opening for… and then spell out what you want in talent and character. That’s right, talent (skills necessary) and character (“motivated,” “self-starter,” “flexible,” whatever). You want the right person to aspire to work for your company, not a guy named “Joe” to come in and fill a vacant spot.

I encourage my clients to put a phone number on any ad along with something like, “Ask for Angela at extension 271.” Resumes have some value, but I’m hiring a person here, and I want to get a flavor as to who is fishing in my pond. I need more than a pile of downloaded paper (a resume) that is often at the very least exaggerated and at most partly fictional. Besides, if a person really wants a job she should be willing to take the initiative of picking up the phone and pursuing it.

Now in reality, there is no Angela, but there is a woman (or man if you will) who you want to take the initial call and screen the initial load of candidates. All “Angela” has to do is ask some general questions and take some notes. She can ask, Can you tell me a bit about yourself? Why are you interested? What is your experience?

Give Angela some strikeout factors—things you don’t want. For example, you don’t want someone seeking a customer service position who sounds like an NYC policeman, or exhibits the energy of a person needing a blood transfusion. Nor do you want someone whose second question of Angela pertains to the number of weeks of vacation, or what is the starting pay. You may not want to hire someone who has to drive a great distance. All it may take is some winter weather and bulging gas prices to have them looking elsewhere. Depending on the job requirements, assemble some strikeout factors (between 5 and 10 perhaps) and weed out the dandelions.

Phone First

Once they have cleared the Angela hurdle, talk to them on the phone first. There is no need to create a part-time job for yourself or one of your supervisors by interviewing seven candidates personally for one job if you can avoid it. Call the ones Angela has cited first, and see how you feel about them.

When chatting (and make it as informal as possible) on the phone, you will be tempted to focus exclusively on technical questions, don’t be afraid to ask some “safe” quasi-personal ones as well. “What do you like to do in your spare time?” If the answer involves watching sitcom reruns or the Springer show you might want to strike the person out. Remember, you are hiring a person here, not a slot. And be sure to ask, “Why do you want this job?”

Be clear about what you want in the person you are hiring. Don’t lead off the phone conversation with that, but once you get comfortable, put it out there. You want no surprises and neither does your prospective hire. You need to be sure that they know what you expect and what they can expect.