Executive Suite: No More Headhunters

7. Check References—Require any serious candidate to give you three references who will talk. Of course, they will give you their strongest advocates, but if you know what questions to ask (and I have them, if you need them) you can smoke out the critical information. I have saved thousands by simply asking three questions. Tell me about Ms. Jones? What are her strong points? No one is perfect, so what areas should we help her develop? Is this a good job for her? The first two are warm-ups. I only care about the last two, and that can pay the bills because you will hardly believe the stories I can tell you about what I have heard in response to those wind-up questions.

8. Direct the Hiree—Tell the person exactly what is expected of her or him. Make rock certain there is no confusion. Make clear you are committing to her and she needs to ask herself if she is committed to your company? If they are going to bail out, now is the time—before there is any disillusionment.

If you follow these steps, the worst thing that can happen is that you will not likely waste your money on a mannequin. You might very well, however, hire a stone winner.

Dr. David Claerbaut is a national consultant to the graphic arts industry and author of 15 books. His website is ccganswers.com and you can reach him at 702-354-7000 or email him at drdc46@yahoo.com