Tools and Tips for Hiring Great People in Any Economy

In a previous post, I wrote about the importance of hiring great people during a recession. Every expert who repsonded to my query agreed that it’s important to hire great people whether the economy is up or down, but that during a down economy, companies are less able to afford the costs involved in replacing candidates who fell short of employers’ expectations.
One of the experts who responded to my query was Dr. Robert Kinsel-Smith, author of “Discover Your Blind Spots,” a book that “provides tools and advice on how to find great people.”
Here are a few tips Dr. Smith offers for finding the highest quality entry level job candidates:
A. Have your interviews put the candidates to the test – don’t have them be controlled environments but ones where how they perform under stress is demonstrated.
B. From the person’s past determine if this is a person who attracts successful people – great people attract successful people, weak people attract people who are mediocre.
C. Use a tool like ZeroRiskHR‘s hiring tool – which helps direct the interview process and uncovers potential pitfalls for each candidate.
Finding great employees is a difficult task, but starting early might help a little, regardless of what the economy is doing. Companies that offer internship programs can stack the deck in their favor by hiring the best interns and making sure they have challenging, rewarding and interesting internship experiences. By cultivating great interns, the companies increase their odds of hiring great recent graduates for entry level jobs.
Since not all the jobs that companies offer are entry level and employers still need to know how to discern great candidates from average candidates, Dr. Smith suggests looking for the following characteristics:
A. Great performers want to work with and for this person
B. They are teachable and continually growing
C. They don’t confuse words with actions – realizing that actions and outcomes are the basis of success
D. They have their areas of responsibility under control, they secure desire results, and they make their bosses’ jobs easier.
The economy won’t stay bad forever, but having the best possible employees on staff while it is will certainly make getting through it a lot easier to manage.

Active Candidates Can Be Great, Too

With so many companies downsizing and going out of business, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of people actively looking for new jobs. Ironically, according to Ronald Katz in his article for ERE, “What’s So Great About Passive Candidates,” recruiters tend to shun active job seekers. The way Katz describes recruiters’ disdain for active candidates sounds as if it’s the challenge of wooing someone away from a current employer that gives them a thrill. To them, people who are looking for new jobs, even if they already have them, must be troublesome.
The way things are right now, disregarding active job seekers could cause recruiters to miss opportunities to hire really great candidates who had the misfortune to work for companies that collapsed as a result of the recession. “[I]n this time when literally tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs, it’s crazy to assume that everyone who is out there looking for a job is ‘damaged goods,’” says Katz.

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Are Recruiters Too Dependent On Technology?

Much of recruiting is done electronically these days through social media sites, text messages and targeted emails. Some thoroughly embrace it, while others, like Stephen Lowisz, still believe in the personal touch. In his article for ERE, “Technology: Recruiters’ Friend or Foe?” Lowisz tells a story about one person who told him email and text messages were the only means of communication recruiters should use to get in touch with candidates. Like Lowisz, I doubt the wisdom of such an idea.
Although text messages and targeted emails can help recruiters reach more desired entry level job candidates in a shorter span of time, I still advocate campus visits. Meeting the people who will one day fill the jobs or internship positions that companies have to offer could make all the difference in the world. It would give recruiters the opportunity to observe how certain candidates relate to others. And in this world of emailed resumes and video interviews, having recruiters come to the campus to actually shake their hands and look them directly in their eyes might make them feel extra special.
“Within the recruitment profession today, technology has moved from a tool to identify candidates and create efficiencies to a mechanism that replaces real relationships,” Lowisz laments.
Recruiting, he says, is sales and should be conducted as such. According to Lowisz, “Every Sales 101 class teaches us that there are five main steps in the sales process:

• Develop a relationship
• Identify the need
• Overcome objections
• Fill the need
• Advance the sale”

I guess the real solution is something that falls in between relying solely on technology and continuing the practice of campus visits. As Lowisz sees it, technology should be used to complement the more personal, “hands on” side of recruiting entry level job candidates, not replace it altogether.

3 Things You MUST Do to Ace the Job Interview

Congratulations! You landed the job interview. What now?
Many job candidates assume that their resumes will speak for them and that all they need to do is show up for the interview, looking professional and confirming a few questions about their skills. As a matter of fact, the interview is where the candidate needs to really start working! To improve your interview experience and increase your chances of becoming the preferred candidate:
Research. One of the top three deal breakers recruiters and hiring managers have identified is whether the candidate has taken the time to learn about the hiring company. Using the excuse that you’re “just” out of college and new to the job search doesn’t work. To learn more about a company, do an Internet search and review the news coverage, as well as the company’s public Web site (including annual reports and the About Us section, as applicable). You can also ask your friends and colleagues what they know about the company.
Adjust your attitude. Another deal breaker is not having a good attitude. Some employers have even said this is more important to them than the skill level of the individual. They are willing to invest in training if the candidate’s attitude is stellar and a good fit for the company. Always smile, no matter how you feel. Practice answering your interview questions in front of a mirror and check to see if you have a relaxed, approachable (and smiling) visage. Also, avoid using the interview as a platform for voicing your displeasure over your last job, boss, unsatisfactory school project, and so forth. No matter what the truth is, always formulate your answers to be positive and forward-looking. The past is just that. Learn from it and move on.
Create value. Employers prefer that you have the basic required skill set to do the job. To differentiate yourself from all the others who have the required skill set, demonstrate how you can help the company differentiate itself. When you talk about your skills and experience, do it in the manner that demonstrates how what you have done has added value to your past employer or how your unique problem-solving approach has been beneficial in adding value to an internship. Use quantifiable information, discuss efficiencies you’ve introduced and revenue or savings you’ve generated, if at all possible. Simply reiterating your skills in job-description fashion only proves you met the basic job requirements.
Sharon DeLay is a certified career coach with the goal of helping people find jobs they love and love the jobs they have. Visit our website or e-mail us for more information or to subscribe to her twice weekly blog or twice monthly ezine. (c) 2008 Permanent Ink Professional Development Services