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Casual Articles - How Managers Can Prep for Interviews and Attract the Best Candidates
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, “Are You an Entrepreneur?”). But the truth of the matter is that these questions are similar to ones that I’d ask someone who wants to move up in an organization or find a new position elsewhere. When people call an executive coach after deciding to make a change or being laid off, those who have treated their career like their own business will have a much easier time.Having an entrepreneur mindset is a necessary asset for being recognized and rewarded in your organization. The employees who are primarily reactive will not reach the top. Sure, they’ll be rewarded to a point for their faithful and accurate adherence to the established goals of the organization—but these are not going to be the people calling the shots for the big games. An entrepreneur mindset means thinking of the gestalt, or whole, of the organization and recognizing where you fit into the scheme of things; recognizing the impact of your actions on the system and how you can craft and increase that impact. It means having great relationship abilities and an uncanny knowledge and intuition of your “clients”—your colleagues, senior management teams, and your staff, as well as external customers.Entrepreneurs are always taking temperatures—of costs, profit margins, marketing effectiveness, vi
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or
This article could just as easily have been entitled "Everybody's talkin' at me, I don't hear a word they're sayin'," but that was already taken. So I'll stick with "Cutting Out the Cacophony."As digital signage technology enters its next phase as a hybrid, interactive medium combining the power of linear content with branching interactive functionality, volume is likely to rise, literally. Hybrid systems increasingly will find their way into places like retail stores and museums where multiple displays are spaced in close proximity to one another and the sound from competing signs becomes bothersome.Imagine a natural history museum with multiple interactive digital signs spaced a few feet apart. One focuses on carnivorous dinosaurs, another on herbivores and a third on pre-historic fish. If all of these digital signs have accompanying audio playback that loops during their presentations or plays back specific clips when accessed interactively, the result will be a cacophony of competing sound that actually drive visitors away rather than accomplishing the goal of imparting knowledge.Imagine a similar scenario in a retail store, where audio from a cosmetic counter digital sign is competing with audio from the fragrance counter digital sign and the handbag counter digital sign across the aisle. Shoppers would quickly give up on watching the promotional video or finding their desired informat
In my work as the head of a recruiting and staffing firm, I continually receive reports from job candidates that point to a failure on the part of hiring managers to properly prepare for the job interview. The result is that often the best candidates for a particular position can be so turned off by how they were treated, they simply walk away from the opportunity.
An endless supply?
In the business world of today, employers are more selective than ever before. In order to be considered, job candidates must prove that they possess very specific skills, very particular personal qualities and an ability to adapt to a unique corporate environment.
Not only that, employers seem hell bent on waiting it out for exactly the right person rather than risk taking a chance on someone who is not exactly right. In fact, it is quite common these days for the recruiting process to last three months or more even if it involves a freelance or contract temp position!
While employers have become so much more selective, it is also true that a strong job market has put a pinch on the supply of viable candidates. Indeed, contrary to what some managers assume, there simply is not an endless reservoir of skilled individuals from which to choose. That is why every qualified job candidate must be treated with the utmost care during the recruiting process. And adequate preparation is the key.
Make a shopping list
Typically, when you begin to shop for a new car, digital camera or other gizmo with a lot of technical features, you first have to do some thinking, some planning and some research. For example, you would need to decide on the product features that are important to you, what your budget is, your preferences vis-?-vis form versus function, and all the rest. Likewise, the same holds true when you are looking to recruit the right job candidate.
Before you can even begin to think about interviewing anyone, you must prepare a coherent job description (checklist) that defines the type of person you are seeking. As a management recruiter, I have found that, very often, hiring managers do not necessarily prepare such a description - this is especially true in the case of contract or freelance openings - something we see all the time in our staffing business.
At the very least, I would highly recommend that you put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard, whichever you prefer - and prepare an outline of job responsibilities and a list of the skills and personal qualities the person will need in order to do the job well. This can then be used as a measuring stick during job interviews.
As a recruiter, I have often found that job descriptions are either inaccurate or they change radically as the recruiting process plods on. In fact, one of our larger corporate clients (which shall remain nameless) has been known to alter job descriptions as often as every two or three days! This can be particularly frustrating to those in my profession, as well to the Human Resources department which must invest hours of time identifying candidates that conform to a specific job profile only to find that the profile is no longer valid.
To prevent wasting the time of everyone, including yourself, try to ensure that you get your facts straight from the beginning - that you thoroughly review job descriptions with others in your department - including the department head. Once you have reached agreement, then and only then should you release a job description for distribution.
Know your company
An important part of interview preparation is making sure you will be able to answer common questions posed by job candidates.
Our job candidates tell us that managers typically know a lot about their own department or division, but often know next to nothing about the organization as a whole.
Make sure that you know key statistics like total annual sales for the entire company - important product lines - current stock price - key individuals - mission statement, etc. In effect, it is strongly advised that you study these facts to avoid the embarrassment of knowing less about your own organization than the candidate does!
Chasing away candidates with bad manners
As you begin your search for qualified candidates, you will no doubt discover how limited the supply of appropriate people really is. So it is crucial that you do not unwittingly scare away the rare birds you have managed to attract. Since you cannot really tell who will turn out to be The One, every job candidate should be treated to a pleasant and professional interview experience.
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or
Today's high-performance CNC machines operate at extremely high rates of speed, requiring an oil mist eliminator to remove vast amounts of coolant. For example, the Haas MDC-500 Mill DrillCenter features a high-volume coolant pump and a 40-gallon coolant tank. Mist eliminators are designed to remove the oil mist and smoke from cutting fluids in metalworking environments.The health hazards of oil mist exposure associated with the machine tool industry have been well documented. The websites for OSHA, NIOSH and the CDC provide a wealth of valuable information for both employers and employees regarding safety issues and cutting fluids.One of the most common afflictions of workers exposed to oil mist is Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP). This is an allergic reaction to machine coolant that worsens with continued exposure. HP is caused by microbes in the cutting oil that affect air sacs in the deepest part of the lung. Symptoms include fever, chills, deep coughing and shortness of breath.A mist eliminator collects and removes the harmful particles and smoke from oil mist. Not only does an oil mist eliminator protect workers health, it can also help increase production and improve your shops overall environment.Oil Mist Eliminator Benefits:* Potential health problems and lost man hours are reduced by capturing harmful airborne mist particles* A good quality mist elim
While employers have become so much more selective, it is also true that a strong job market has put a pinch on the supply of viable candidates. Indeed, contrary to what some managers assume, there simply is not an endless reservoir of skilled individuals from which to choose. That is why every qualified job candidate must be treated with the utmost care during the recruiting process. And adequate preparation is the key.
Make a shopping list
Typically, when you begin to shop for a new car, digital camera or other gizmo with a lot of technical features, you first have to do some thinking, some planning and some research. For example, you would need to decide on the product features that are important to you, what your budget is, your preferences vis-?-vis form versus function, and all the rest. Likewise, the same holds true when you are looking to recruit the right job candidate.
Before you can even begin to think about interviewing anyone, you must prepare a coherent job description (checklist) that defines the type of person you are seeking. As a management recruiter, I have found that, very often, hiring managers do not necessarily prepare such a description - this is especially true in the case of contract or freelance openings - something we see all the time in our staffing business.
At the very least, I would highly recommend that you put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard, whichever you prefer - and prepare an outline of job responsibilities and a list of the skills and personal qualities the person will need in order to do the job well. This can then be used as a measuring stick during job interviews.
As a recruiter, I have often found that job descriptions are either inaccurate or they change radically as the recruiting process plods on. In fact, one of our larger corporate clients (which shall remain nameless) has been known to alter job descriptions as often as every two or three days! This can be particularly frustrating to those in my profession, as well to the Human Resources department which must invest hours of time identifying candidates that conform to a specific job profile only to find that the profile is no longer valid.
To prevent wasting the time of everyone, including yourself, try to ensure that you get your facts straight from the beginning - that you thoroughly review job descriptions with others in your department - including the department head. Once you have reached agreement, then and only then should you release a job description for distribution.
Know your company
An important part of interview preparation is making sure you will be able to answer common questions posed by job candidates.
Our job candidates tell us that managers typically know a lot about their own department or division, but often know next to nothing about the organization as a whole.
Make sure that you know key statistics like total annual sales for the entire company - important product lines - current stock price - key individuals - mission statement, etc. In effect, it is strongly advised that you study these facts to avoid the embarrassment of knowing less about your own organization than the candidate does!
Chasing away candidates with bad manners
As you begin your search for qualified candidates, you will no doubt discover how limited the supply of appropriate people really is. So it is crucial that you do not unwittingly scare away the rare birds you have managed to attract. Since you cannot really tell who will turn out to be The One, every job candidate should be treated to a pleasant and professional interview experience.
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or
Procurement management can be defined as the independent monitoring or tracking of manufacturing processes to purchase order requirements. An implicit assumption of Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) analysis is that the purchase price per unit is constant. In an inflationary period, this assumption is not valid. If the rate of inflation is predictable the EOQ formula can be applied.The standard EOQ model assumes that materials can be procured instantaneously, and hence implies that the firm may place an order for replenishment when the inventory level drops to zero. In the real world, however, time is required for the procurement of materials, and hence the order level must be such that inventory at the time of ordering suffices to meet the needs of production during the procurement period.If the usage rate of materials and the lead time for procurement are known with certainty then the ordering level would simply be lead time in days for procurement, multiplied by the average daily usage. When the usage rate and lead time are likely to vary, the reorder level should be higher than the normal consumption period requirement during the procurement period, to provide a measure of safety in face of variability of usage and lead time. Put differently, the reorder level should be equal to normal consumption, added by the safety stock.When both the lead time and usage rate vary, which is often the cas
At the very least, I would highly recommend that you put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard, whichever you prefer - and prepare an outline of job responsibilities and a list of the skills and personal qualities the person will need in order to do the job well. This can then be used as a measuring stick during job interviews.
As a recruiter, I have often found that job descriptions are either inaccurate or they change radically as the recruiting process plods on. In fact, one of our larger corporate clients (which shall remain nameless) has been known to alter job descriptions as often as every two or three days! This can be particularly frustrating to those in my profession, as well to the Human Resources department which must invest hours of time identifying candidates that conform to a specific job profile only to find that the profile is no longer valid.
To prevent wasting the time of everyone, including yourself, try to ensure that you get your facts straight from the beginning - that you thoroughly review job descriptions with others in your department - including the department head. Once you have reached agreement, then and only then should you release a job description for distribution.
Know your company
An important part of interview preparation is making sure you will be able to answer common questions posed by job candidates.
Our job candidates tell us that managers typically know a lot about their own department or division, but often know next to nothing about the organization as a whole.
Make sure that you know key statistics like total annual sales for the entire company - important product lines - current stock price - key individuals - mission statement, etc. In effect, it is strongly advised that you study these facts to avoid the embarrassment of knowing less about your own organization than the candidate does!
Chasing away candidates with bad manners
As you begin your search for qualified candidates, you will no doubt discover how limited the supply of appropriate people really is. So it is crucial that you do not unwittingly scare away the rare birds you have managed to attract. Since you cannot really tell who will turn out to be The One, every job candidate should be treated to a pleasant and professional interview experience.
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or
Cash is one of the most important resources to a new business. One of the best ways to conserve cash for a startup business that is in need of office space is to rent an executive suite rather than to rent traditional office space. Most people don't even know this little secret. In fact, most people don't even know what an executive suite is.An executive suite is generally referred to as a small office that one would rent from an executive suite facility like Plaza Executive Suites, http://www.plazaoffices.com, located in Las Vegas Nevada. The office environment would include all the necessary services needed to operate a business. The key cost savings is that most of the services such as the receptionist and conference room are shared with other renters. As an example, instead of paying up to as much as $40,000 per year to answer your phones and greet clients, with an executive suite, since the services are shared, you would only pay a fraction of that cost.Necessary services such as photo-copying, telephone usage and mail handling are paid on an as needed basis. For new businesses, the opportunity to enjoy lease and space flexibility is most appealing.Startup costs are greatly reduced by renting an executive suite over a traditional office. With a traditional office, one would have to consider all the upfront and ongoing expenses associated with the space build-out, secretary or r
To prevent wasting the time of everyone, including yourself, try to ensure that you get your facts straight from the beginning - that you thoroughly review job descriptions with others in your department - including the department head. Once you have reached agreement, then and only then should you release a job description for distribution.
Know your company
An important part of interview preparation is making sure you will be able to answer common questions posed by job candidates.
Our job candidates tell us that managers typically know a lot about their own department or division, but often know next to nothing about the organization as a whole.
Make sure that you know key statistics like total annual sales for the entire company - important product lines - current stock price - key individuals - mission statement, etc. In effect, it is strongly advised that you study these facts to avoid the embarrassment of knowing less about your own organization than the candidate does!
Chasing away candidates with bad manners
As you begin your search for qualified candidates, you will no doubt discover how limited the supply of appropriate people really is. So it is crucial that you do not unwittingly scare away the rare birds you have managed to attract. Since you cannot really tell who will turn out to be The One, every job candidate should be treated to a pleasant and professional interview experience.
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or
Once again, I'm taking a look at the current status of the programming job market. I guess my biggest interest is in seeing which programming languages are the most popular. Originally, I did an article about this 3 months ago (Decisions! Decisions!) as an exercise to see if where I was headed as a programmer was in tune with where the market is headed. When I go back a look at that article, I'm surprised at where I was heading. At that time I felt that C# was the best direction for me to look into. Well, now we're three months later into 2005 and I'm in a totally different direction. I guess it all depends on what the client wants and how good the project pay is. ;) While C# still looks like a very good market to be in, I'm currently involved with Java and FileMaker. Well, it's what the client wants!Anyway, here's the chart for this quarter. Below the chart I'll discuss the interesting changes that have occurred just during the past three months.(EZineArticles currently doesn't support the viewing of tables. But, you can view the table at www.timothytrimble.info under the ART of Software Development blog.)Here's what I find interesting about this chart compared to three months ago:* VB continues to hold a steady market share. This includes .Net and pre-.Net. There was only a .2% drop in job market share this quarter, which is hardly worth mentioning. VB programmers are still in high
How many times in your own career have you interviewed for a position, only to find that your interviewer did not schedule enough time to really get to know you, was constantly being distracted by phone calls during the interview, or was otherwise not connecting with you? How did that make you feel?
Whenever you schedule an interview, it is in your best interest to make sure you reserve a reasonable amount of time in a quiet place where you and your job candidate will not be disturbed. If you create barriers that detract from the interview experience - like phone interruptions and people at the door and an artificial shortage of time - candidates may be inclined to turn you down for the job, rather than the other way round.
Remember that the standards you set will be contagious. If you are working through an assistant or coordinator to schedule interviews for you, make sure that he or she knows that the time and comfort level of the candidate is as important as your own. If you are working through your Human Resources department, make sure you communicate clearly and in a timely manner.
Do not make them wait
There is no bigger turnoff, and no better way to chase away a good job candidate, than being late for the interview. Candidates should not be forced to wait inordinate amounts of time for you to show up. This puts you and your organization in the worst possible light.
As a vendor of staffing services, I have often been obliged to go on a sales call or two. On plenty of occasions, I have waited far too long for someone to pick me up at reception. But job candidates are not vendors - they are potential work mates, and proper respect for their time should be shown.
There are precautions you can take to ensure that such delays are eliminated, and I advise you to exercise all of them.
First, schedule interviews on days and times when you are fairly certain things will not be too busy. For example, if this is a first interview, and you are the only person who will see the candidate, it might be best to choose a date when your boss is out of town.
Second, if possible, ask one of your colleagues to be available to take your place in the event you are suddenly called away and cannot conduct the interview. Not many people plan to this level of detail, but finding an available replacement ahead of time can save an awful lot of embarrassment.
Third, if you schedule a candidate to come in, and you subsequently come to find out there is a good chance you will be delayed, I would opt to postpone the interview for another day, rather than run the risk that the candidate will have to sit there and wait for you.
Finally, I have seen situations where a candidate has been scheduled to see five or six people back to back without a break. (Is this an interview or an endurance test?) I have also seen some senior level candidates invited into town for a full day of interviews and left to wander the streets alone during a protracted lunch break. Tell me now - would you accept a position with a company that takes up an entire day of your time, and does not arrange for someone to have lunch with you? As Mick Jagger once said, have some courtesy and some taste.
Remember, there is simply not an endless supply of great talent out there to fit your job description - so treat every candidate with respect, and you will shorten the dreaded recruiting process by days and weeks.
Know your candidate
Time is a scarce commodity for most people, but really, there is no excuse for failing to review the resume of a candidate before the job interview. Candidates generally perceive this as being, well, downright rude. And who can blame them? How did you feel when you went on job interviews and the interviewer was awkwardly sneaking peeks at your resume while trying to conduct a coherent conversation with you?
Make sure you study the resume carefully before the candidate walks through the door. Circle strong points and inconsistencies, make comments in the margins and prepare specific questions based on the resume. In effect, pay as much attention to the resume prior to the interview as you would pay to the actual person during the interview.
Prepare now, waste less time later
In summary, preparation is the key to a better and shorter candidate search.
- Prepare an accurate job description that can be used to assess candidates
- Know key facts about your organization from the top on down including its structure, financial performance, personalities and policies so that you can help candidates better understand your company
- Prepare to offer a positive interview experience for candidates - do not conduct interviews in a place where interruptions are guaranteed
- Be on time for interviews
- Arrange for someone to substitute for you in the event you suddenly cannot make the interview
- Become as familiar as you can with the resume prior to the interview
Copyright © 2006 Clifford S. Yurman. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 and 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of Clifford S. Yurman. The Publisher may be reached www.marketingproresources.com
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