How to re-examine your hiring process to ensure you get great talent.

1. Don’t Make These Common Mistakes …

2. Hints for
Hiring -
Right
DON’T MAKE THESE
MISTAKES
Gregory P Cofoid – Consulting Services

3. Hiring Process
 So, what is your company’s hiring process?
 Carefully create a job description
 Go over it with the hiring manager, HR, Management, and twenty others before
finalizing it.
 Place it on a Job Board or hire a recruiter
 Sift through hundreds of resumes
 Filter down to a few and do a phone screen
 Bring in 3 to interview in the office
 Drill them with questions and take notes
 Discuss results
 … Choose the one most likeable.

4.  So, what is your company’s hiring process?
 Carefully create a job description
 Go over it with the hiring manager, HR, Management, and
twenty others before finalizing it.
 Place it on a Job Board or hire a recruiter
 Sift through hundreds of resumes
 Filter down to a few and do a phone screen
 Bring in 3 to interview in the office
 Drill them with questions and take notes
 Discuss results
 … Choose the one most people found likeable.
The Hiring Process

5. Hiring Process
 Really?
 After all the work you put in, and you choose the
one most likeable?
 What happened to all the criteria you developed?

6. People Hire People Like Themselves
 It’s a fact. People tend to hire people most like themselves
 It’s the comfort factor – the more comfortable we are, the
easier it is to pick that person for the job.
 Google it – you’ll find hundreds of articles on the topic.

7.  It’s a fact. People tend to hire people
most like themselves
 It’s the comfort factor – the more
comfortable we are, the easier it is to
pick that person for the job.
 Google it – you’ll find hundreds of
articles on the topic.
Hiring in Your Own Image

8. What is a Better Way?
 It takes more effort, but there are better ways to
ensure you get the right person for the job.

9. Is There a
Better Way?
Re-assess your job criteria
Emphasize “Soft” Criteria
Select Tools to Measure
Have Candidates Take Assessments
Compare Against What’s Needed
Interview
Select

10. Reassess Job Criteria
 Re-assess your job criteria
 How much is skills-based?
 How much is devoted to “soft” skills
 Ex. People – skills
 Ex. Emotional Maturity
 Etc.
 Consider employees who have left the company. Why did they leave?
 Probably many had potential, but it was never realized. Why?

11. Reassess Job Criteria
Is the job a technical or non-
technical job?
If technical, then the job
description will have more
skill/technical requirements
than non-technical positions.

12. Reassess Job Criteria
Determine:
• What are the MUST HAVEs that are really critical for job success?
• Who is determining the criteria – the hiring manager or HR?
• Are the years of experience needed realistic?
• Is an advanced degree really going to make the person better at the
job?

13. Reassess Job Criteria
Determine:
• Is knowing that unique, one-of-a-kind SW package upfront really critical or can it be
learned?
• Is 30 years of experience in that specific industry really essential?
• Is having that certification going to make or break the person’s success in the job?
• How much is easily-quickly learnable on the job and how much is needed from day one?

14. Reassess Job Criteria
Determine:
• What things are not there that are really critical to success?
• Can experience be substituted for training or education?
• Are there alternative certs or training that will open the requirements to those who really could do the
job well?
• Don’t paint yourself into a box with requirements that do nothing to help you find the right person.

15.  Bottom Line
Do you really want someone
exactly like the last person who
had the job?
Or would it be better to get a
different perspective from a
qualified, equally-competent
individual?

16. What is Important Then?

17. Most Important Criteria
for Success
 The most important criteria for success in a
position are:
 Ability to adapt to the company culture
 Positive mental attitude
 Ability to get along with others
 Ability to stay neutral in company politics

18. Other Criteria for
Success
 The other criteria for success in a position are:
 Making sure your bass’s needs are met
 Dependability
 Basic communication skills – verbal/written
 Basic competence in the position

19. Most Important Criteria for Success
 You’re saying: I don’t agree. These are the two most
important:
 Competence in the job duties per the job description, and
 Communication skills – verbal/written – and keeping people
informed.
 Actually, no.

20. Most
Important
Criteria for
Success
Often the most competent for the jobs are
the ones who are either fired or quit –
because …
• They don’t get along with their boss
• They don’t get along with others
• They aren’t able to fit in with others and are not
included in task forces and other groups that lead to
promotions.
• They don’t get the coaching, mentoring and
opportunities others get.

21. So, What Does this Mean?
 Look at every position again – from a different
perspective.
 Establish criteria that will really allow the company
to hire for success
 Determine how to assess these during the interview
process
 Select the RIGHT candidate who WILL succeed on
the job.

22. So, What Does this Mean?
Select Select the RIGHT candidate who WILL succeed on the job.
Determine Determine how to assess these criteria during the interview process
Establish Establish criteria that really will lead to success
Look Look at every position differently

23. What Should We Look for?
Culture Fit
1
Positive
Attitude
2
People Skills
3
Emotional
Maturity
4
Fit with Boss
5

24. Oh, and Five More …
Adaptability
1
Problem Solving
Ability
2
Hard Working
3
Takes Initiative
4
Meets the Technical
Requirements for the
Job
5

25. And Your
System?
How well does your
recruiting process:
• Check for all these requirements?
• Prioritize these requirements
correctly?
• Measure candidates against these?

26. Your System Needs a Change
 You may need to change the way you hire.
 First, how do you check for Culture Fit?

27. Checking for Culture Fit
Just because they come from a
big company, doesn’t mean they
can’t adapt to a small one.
Just because they come from a
small company, doesn’t mean
they can’t adapt to a big one.
You catch the drift …
So, how do you know?

29. Checking for
Culture Fit
First,
figure
out
what
your
Culture
is …
If you don’t really know how to describe
it, you won’t be able to identify
candidates that fit it.
List the key components that constitute
your culture
Prioritize them
See how they apply to the position
you’re hiring for and make adjustments.
Use this list as a guide for assessment.

30. Checking for Culture Fit
 Check by:
 Have them take a Myers-Briggs personality test
and see if their attributes fit with the company.
 Ask the following questions:
 What type of culture do you thrive in? (Does
the response reflect your organizational
culture?)
 What values are you drawn to and what’s
your ideal workplace?

31. Checking for Culture Fit
 Check by:
 Ask other questions:
 Why do you want to work here?
 How would you describe our culture based on what you’ve seen?
Is this something that works for you?
 What best practices would you bring with you from another
organization? Do you see yourself being able to implement these
best practices in our environment?
 Tell me about a time when you worked with/for an organization
where you felt you were not a strong culture fit. Why was it a bad
fit?

32. Checking for Positive Attitude
 Check for Positive Attitude by asking these questions:
 Tell me about a time when you went beyond the call of duty to
deliver an outstanding customer experience.
 Give me an example of how you respond to difficult co-workers.
 When did you last try something new when there was no
guarantee of success?
 How would you describe yourself – your personality?
 When times get tough, how do you react? Give me an example.

33. Checking for People Skills
Check by:
• Asking the Receptionist how he/she was treated by the candidate at the front desk?
• Seeing if the candidate sent follow-up notices after meetings
• Observing the candidate’s interaction with others in hallways or rooms when not specifically introduced or engaged
• Ability to maintain a focused conversation
• Ability to articulate his/her points clearly and succinctly
• Facial expressions when communicating – cordial – open or stiff – closed.
• And of course – eye contact

35. Checking for Emotional Maturity
Check by asking the questions:
• Given an example of a big mistake for which you’ve publicly taken responsibility.
When did you last admit to someone that you were wrong? What was if for?
• What do you do when someone asks you something you don’t know?
• Give an example of something big which you learned yesterday
• How do you continue to learn new things every day?

36. Checking for Emotional Maturity
Check by asking other questions:
• Do would you rank your self-awareness? Give an example.
• Would others say you are usually right? If so, do you always have to be right? Give an example of
when you let someone else take the credit.
• How do you feel when you are criticized? How do you react to that?
• Do you have a sense of humor? On a scale of 1-10 where would others say it is?
• When was the last time you asked someone else for help? What was it for?

37. Checking for Fit with Boss
 If the hiring manager is an extreme extravert,
he/she may have a problem with an extreme
introvert. Same holds for other extreme
personalities or traits.
 It’s important that the candidate gets along
with the boss for whom he/she will work.
 If you don’t know the hiring manager’s traits –
find out.

38. Checking for Fit with Boss
 Have the Hiring Manager:
 Take the Myers-Briggs test and review the findings.
 Take a DISC assessment
 Take a Predictive Index assessment or other tools available online
 If assessing the Hiring Manager isn’t possible, then:
 Do your best to identify his/her traits in accordance with one of those
tools.

39. Checking for Fit with Boss
 Have the final candidates do the same:
 Take the Myers-Briggs test and review the findings.
 Take a DISC assessment
 Take a Predictive Index assessment or other tools available online
 Compare the traits and determine which would likely match best with the boss.
 HOWEVER, Consider the candidate’s and the hiring manager’s ability tot adapt to
different behavior. Sometimes a perfect match isn’t necessary if one or the other
can change to fit the needs of the situation.
 NOW, how do I assess adaptability?

41. Checking for Adaptability
 How do I assess adaptability?
 Ask these questions:
 When was the last time you changed your opinion about
something important? What was it? What caused you to
change?
 When was the last time you admitted you were wrong to
a colleague at work? What was it? How did it make you
feel?
 On a scale of 1 to 10 what is your level of curiosity? Give
an example of something you pursued because you were
curious. When?
 What media do you use to learn new things? What big
thing have you learned about this past year or month?

42. Checking for Problem Solving
 How do I assess problem-solving capability?
 No one likes these types of tests, but they can be
offered in a non-threatening way to test problem
solving skills.
 Insight Assessment – online tests
 Mindtools.com – online tests
 Many other sites available online.

43. HARD WORKING

44. Checking for Hard Working
 How do I assess whether someone is hard-working?
 Ask what the hardest job was that the person ever
had? What made it hard?
 Ask how many hours per week he/she expects to
work. Do they have limitations?
 Ask about their ability to multi-task. Ask for examples.
 Ask references about the work ethic of the person and
have them tell a story about one incident they know
of.

45. Checking for Takes Initiative
 How do I assess whether someone takes initiative?

46. Checking for
Initiative
Top talent has extreme levels of
initiative:
• They anticipate what needs to be done
• They go above and beyond the call the duty
• They are proactive
• They are step ahead of their peer group
• They don’t wait to be told what to do

47. Checking for
Initiative
Ask these questions:
• Give an example in your last job where you
displayed initiative.
• Give an example of when you went above and
beyond the call the duty
• What do you do when you’re not kept busy?
• What do you do outside of work? What are
your hobbies?
• What are hobbies you’d like to start?

49. Checking for Technical Skills
 Now that you’ve been through all the rest, doesn’t this one seem easy?
 Assess technical skills by:
 Evaluating a candidate’s work history. Have they done things required in the job
description or similar to them? Did they succeed at them?
 Evaluating any certifications needed. Are they current and applicable?
 References – what do the references say about the person’s technical skills?
 But, you already know how to do this.

50. Checking for Technical Skills
 But, what you may not take into consideration is:
 The candidate’s ability to learn
 However, this is even more important in many cases.
Will/can the person learn?
 If they have drive and take initiative, the answer is YES!
 If they are adaptable and seek to learn, then the answer is
YES!
 Exceptions, of course:
 Unless they are a tax manager, attorney, brain surgeon,
etc., etc., then consider the ability of the person to learn on
the job.

52. How You Hire …
It’s all up to you …

53. Send Me Your Questions
 Send me your questions:
Gregory P Cofoid – Consulting Services
cofoidg@gmail.com
www.linkedin.com/in/gregcofoid
Twitter: @cofoidg