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- Dec 6, 2016
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This is a hybrid of the training I use to teach regional managers/store managers on how to hire, and what I used to use for consulting with new restaurant owners. Keep in mind 99% of my experience is in retail and food service, so adjust this for your business type. I think (hope) it will give you a good starting point for building a process.
Job Description
Step #1 is to know exactly what it is you are hiring for. Have you put a pencil to this? Most biz owner's have an idea of what they need, but don't take the time to write it out.
What duties will they perform? Why?
What duties will they not perform? Why?
What does their day-to-day look like? Why?
What hours do you need them for? Why?
How much authority will they have? Why?
Heavy lifting?
Will they be working alone?
Customer service?
Social Media?
When do they take lunch? Breaks? Vacations?
Do you need availability outside of normal business hours? Why?
By writing it out, you should get a better idea of who it is you are looking for, what exactly they will be doing, and this will show you any weakness you have in your processes that they will follow.
By the end of this exercise you should be able to explain the job in great detail, and you'll know exactly which qualities you need to find.
Willing and Able
The goal is to find someone that is BOTH willing and able to do the work. Some will be willing, some will be able, but few will be both.
By writing out what exactly the job entails, you should have a list of what they need to be willing and able to do.
Someone that is willing to do the work has the right mental attitude towards the job you are offering. An ex-bank VP is likely not willing to clean toilets for example.
Do you need them after hours? Are they willing to do that?
Will they be working alone? Are they willing to do that? (lot's of people aren't)
Etc for each item on your list.
Are they able to do the work?
This goes beyond physical ability.
Do they have the skills you need? Easy to find this out, just ask.
But beyond that:
Are they able to work the schedule you set? Or do they have to take every other Thursday afternoon off for their kids' national Zumba competition?
Are they divorcing their husband and plan to move across the country in the summer? (real example)
Do they have non-refundable plane tickets to Hawaii for a 2 week vacation next month? (real example)
Use your list from the job description exercise, and create interview questions that correspond to those, to find past experiences that prove willingness and ability to do the work. Make them prove it in the interview through specific examples. Otherwise, they will just tell you what you want to hear.
Interview questions:
"Are you OK working alone?"
"Tell me about a time you completed a project while working alone with no direct oversight"
"Tell me about a time you had to make an important decision without your bosses approval"
"Is there anything that would keep you from working the hours I mentioned?"
"Tell me about a time you had to solve an important problem after hours"
"Tell me about the last time you missed work. How did you and your boss handle it?"
"Tell me how you used excel/office/whatever in your last job"
Proper Fit
It is YOUR job to find a candidate that fits into your organization. It is NOT the applicants job to do this. Why? Because employee's think about everything else except the actual day-to-day grind and WILL take a job that is a bad fit for them.
Maybe the benefits are better, it's closer to home, they need a "change", the pay is better, they got layed-off and are desperate...etc. But they almost never think about the actual work they will be doing.
So using your job description list and your list of what they must be willing and able to do, who would be a good fit?
This is where biz owners usually go wrong, and hire based off "feels". Everyone wants the best employee's, of course we do. But there is a big difference between a good interview, and a good interview with someone that would also be a good fit. Don't have wishful thinking and convince yourself that someone whom you liked would be a good fit, for no reason other than you like them.
Realistically, who will be attracted to this job and why?
Is this a c-suite level position?
A middle management level position?
An entry level management position?
White collar? Blue collar?
Would you be after someone with warehouse experience? Office management experience?
Say this to yourself: "I am in the business of hiring a warehouse operations manager" (change the title to whatever you need)
Does a lifelong accountant fit that role?
A high school teacher?
An office manager accustomed to filing endless TPS reports?
A retail manager?
A food service manager?
A legit c-suite operations manager/COO? (does the pay, benefits, authority, and day-to-day work FIT this?)
Which industry, which position, and what sort of experiences gets you the closest to fuliflling "I am in the business of hiring a warehouse operations manager"?
High school teachers for example. Honorable profession for sure. But. They are used to policies, politics, paperwork, and formalities for EVERYTHING. They are used to lot's of holidays, no interruptions after hours, working with lot's of people. They are used to having very good benefit packages.
This person may interview well. BUT, is it really a good fit?
How about an ex-entrepreneur? They almost always interview extremely well. But they are also some of the worst employees I've ever had. Why? If they were even remotely successful in their entrepreneurial endeavors, they always try to work "on" the business and working "in" the business is "beneath" them. Do you want someone that will change your processes?
Realistically, who is a good fit?
Who do you sell this job to?
From where do you steal an employee?
Interview questions:
"What do you think this job is like?"
(I love to ask this question before telling them about the job. It tells you what their preconceived notions of the job are. If those ideas are close to what the job actually is, it's likely they will be a good fit. If they are way off the mark, then you need to find out why. Is their past background a poor fit? Also, this question will let you start to see a trend with what types of people you are attracting. If you consistently attract the wrong people, you need to adjust the title, pay, advertising method, etc)
"If you were me, what kind of person would you look for?" (you'll get a lot of BS like "works hard", "punctual" etc, but they should also tell you more specific things, which again, shows you what their preconceived notions of the job are)
"Tell me about the worst part of your last job"
"Tell me about the best part of your last job"
"Tell me about your day-to-day activity in your last job"
"Have you applied anywhere else?" (Don't ask where, just ask if they have. They'll likely tell you where. Did they apply at 5 waitress jobs, but then applied with you to run a warehouse? Does that tell you they'd be a good fit? But if the other places they've applied are in the same general theme and skill level of your job, then you've found someone that might be a good fit for you)
Loyalty Versus Trust
We "earn" trust. We "break" trust. We don't have trust given to us automatically. So stop looking for someone you can trust, and instead focus on propensity for loyalty.
Were they loyal to their old employers? What's the longest they've held a job?
How do they speak of their prior employer and co-workers? Did they really like their old boss, even if they sometimes didn't see eye-to-eye, or was their boss a flaming a**hole?
It amazes me how many people are disparaging to their old boss (especially if you keep the interview casual), and that tells me everything I need to know about them. Was their boss a jerk? Maybe. But does it matter? Nope.
If the old boss was a jerk, you will be a jerk in their eyes as well.
A loyal person will instead say "Yeah, you know, my boss was in a little bit over his head. But together we got that department up to par, and really made it something to be proud of. Me and [old boss] didn't see eye-to-eye all the time, but we worked through any issues and overall worked well together. Overall I enjoyed my 8 years there" (or something to that effect)
Find someone that showed a bit of loyalty, and you are much more likely to find someone you can trust.
Interview questions:
"Tell me about a time you and your boss didn't agree on something, and how you resolved it"
"What's the longest you've ever held a job?"
"Why did you leave your last job?" (or any job they've had)
"Ever worked for a boss that was just an incompetent pain in the a$$? How did you get through it?" (I love this question. It sort of baits them into opening up about a boss they may not have liked. How they handle answering this says a LOT about them)
"What was the worst thing about your last boss/employer?"
Protection
Have a witness or install cameras to monitor interviews, especially when interviewing any protected classes such as, women, older folks, disabled, or racial minority.
Don't compliment any part of the appearance.
Don't let them talk about discrimination with you. If they complain that they "felt uncomfortable" during their last job due to any discriminatory reasons, just give them a canned response of "I can appreciate your troubles, but I'd rather not talk about anything related to past issues with your employer" (this happens A LOT)
Be aware of federal and state level discrimination laws. Be aware of questions you cannot legally ask. Basically anything related to a protected class is off limits, but there are unusual ones as well. You can't ask if someone own's a car for instance (transportation discrimination is against the law), but you can ask "do you have a reliable way to get to work?"
I'm not a lawyer, so do some due diligence on this and take it seriously.
Benefits and Pay
Providing health insurance and the like is expected and it is unusual if you do not offer this.
Since it is expected, you do not get any brownie points for having it, but you get huge negative points if you don't.
I could never afford most benefits. So I went the Aflac route (still section 125 eligible health insurance, but still "less" than a full health insurance program)
Aflac does not get me a positive when hiring, but it gets me less negative than no insurance at all.
Benefits > Pay
People will pass up higher pay for better benefits, especially health insurance.
People aren't chasing money with a job, they are chasing security. A job with no health insurance, even if the pay is much higher than other options, feels less secure than a job that has health insurance.
If you can afford it, do it.
Also, pay, benefits, full-time vs part-time, etc...all go into the "fit" category above.
It would be a "bad fit" for a COO level employee to take a job with no health insurance and less than full-time for example. Someone in a job that's a bad fit will in turn have no loyalty.
Use your imagination
Here's a great way to hone your gut, and find a good fit.
1) imagine them doing the work. Imagine them doing the day-to-day grind. Imagine directing them in person and over the phone.
Can you see them doing it? Can you pinpoint areas where they might not be a good fit?
2) Imagine them interviewing for jobs after they have already worked for you
Say they worked for you a couple of years. When interviewing with someone else, what would they say about you?
They would say the same things about you as they've said about other prior employers. Would they say good things? Bad things? Hate your guts just because they have a victim mentality? Would they say "yeah, we had our disagreements, but overall it he was a good boss"?
Did they get bored at their last job? Would they say the same about your job a few years from now?
Etc...
This is NOT a reflection of you, but a reflection of how they conduct themselves, and the lens through which they view the world. This ties in directly to both FIT and LOYALTY.
Where do I find these people?
Linkedin
Newspaper ads (believe it or not this still works well)
Monster
Indeed
Word of mouth
I've never used professional recruiters, so I don't have any advice there.
I have used staffing services though (different from recruiters), and they are a complete waste of time and money.
.....................................................
Overall, just find a good fit in regards to actual work performed, and pay/benefits, and it should be pretty simple (note, I didn't say "easy")
Process Summary:
1) Thorough Job Description
2) Find Willing & Able
3) Find Good Fit
4) Find Loyalty
5) Protect Yourself
Hope that helps!
Job Description
Step #1 is to know exactly what it is you are hiring for. Have you put a pencil to this? Most biz owner's have an idea of what they need, but don't take the time to write it out.
What duties will they perform? Why?
What duties will they not perform? Why?
What does their day-to-day look like? Why?
What hours do you need them for? Why?
How much authority will they have? Why?
Heavy lifting?
Will they be working alone?
Customer service?
Social Media?
When do they take lunch? Breaks? Vacations?
Do you need availability outside of normal business hours? Why?
By writing it out, you should get a better idea of who it is you are looking for, what exactly they will be doing, and this will show you any weakness you have in your processes that they will follow.
By the end of this exercise you should be able to explain the job in great detail, and you'll know exactly which qualities you need to find.
Willing and Able
The goal is to find someone that is BOTH willing and able to do the work. Some will be willing, some will be able, but few will be both.
By writing out what exactly the job entails, you should have a list of what they need to be willing and able to do.
Someone that is willing to do the work has the right mental attitude towards the job you are offering. An ex-bank VP is likely not willing to clean toilets for example.
Do you need them after hours? Are they willing to do that?
Will they be working alone? Are they willing to do that? (lot's of people aren't)
Etc for each item on your list.
Are they able to do the work?
This goes beyond physical ability.
Do they have the skills you need? Easy to find this out, just ask.
But beyond that:
Are they able to work the schedule you set? Or do they have to take every other Thursday afternoon off for their kids' national Zumba competition?
Are they divorcing their husband and plan to move across the country in the summer? (real example)
Do they have non-refundable plane tickets to Hawaii for a 2 week vacation next month? (real example)
Use your list from the job description exercise, and create interview questions that correspond to those, to find past experiences that prove willingness and ability to do the work. Make them prove it in the interview through specific examples. Otherwise, they will just tell you what you want to hear.
Interview questions:
"Are you OK working alone?"
"Tell me about a time you completed a project while working alone with no direct oversight"
"Tell me about a time you had to make an important decision without your bosses approval"
"Is there anything that would keep you from working the hours I mentioned?"
"Tell me about a time you had to solve an important problem after hours"
"Tell me about the last time you missed work. How did you and your boss handle it?"
"Tell me how you used excel/office/whatever in your last job"
Proper Fit
It is YOUR job to find a candidate that fits into your organization. It is NOT the applicants job to do this. Why? Because employee's think about everything else except the actual day-to-day grind and WILL take a job that is a bad fit for them.
Maybe the benefits are better, it's closer to home, they need a "change", the pay is better, they got layed-off and are desperate...etc. But they almost never think about the actual work they will be doing.
So using your job description list and your list of what they must be willing and able to do, who would be a good fit?
This is where biz owners usually go wrong, and hire based off "feels". Everyone wants the best employee's, of course we do. But there is a big difference between a good interview, and a good interview with someone that would also be a good fit. Don't have wishful thinking and convince yourself that someone whom you liked would be a good fit, for no reason other than you like them.
Realistically, who will be attracted to this job and why?
Is this a c-suite level position?
A middle management level position?
An entry level management position?
White collar? Blue collar?
Would you be after someone with warehouse experience? Office management experience?
Say this to yourself: "I am in the business of hiring a warehouse operations manager" (change the title to whatever you need)
Does a lifelong accountant fit that role?
A high school teacher?
An office manager accustomed to filing endless TPS reports?
A retail manager?
A food service manager?
A legit c-suite operations manager/COO? (does the pay, benefits, authority, and day-to-day work FIT this?)
Which industry, which position, and what sort of experiences gets you the closest to fuliflling "I am in the business of hiring a warehouse operations manager"?
High school teachers for example. Honorable profession for sure. But. They are used to policies, politics, paperwork, and formalities for EVERYTHING. They are used to lot's of holidays, no interruptions after hours, working with lot's of people. They are used to having very good benefit packages.
This person may interview well. BUT, is it really a good fit?
How about an ex-entrepreneur? They almost always interview extremely well. But they are also some of the worst employees I've ever had. Why? If they were even remotely successful in their entrepreneurial endeavors, they always try to work "on" the business and working "in" the business is "beneath" them. Do you want someone that will change your processes?
Realistically, who is a good fit?
Who do you sell this job to?
From where do you steal an employee?
Interview questions:
"What do you think this job is like?"
(I love to ask this question before telling them about the job. It tells you what their preconceived notions of the job are. If those ideas are close to what the job actually is, it's likely they will be a good fit. If they are way off the mark, then you need to find out why. Is their past background a poor fit? Also, this question will let you start to see a trend with what types of people you are attracting. If you consistently attract the wrong people, you need to adjust the title, pay, advertising method, etc)
"If you were me, what kind of person would you look for?" (you'll get a lot of BS like "works hard", "punctual" etc, but they should also tell you more specific things, which again, shows you what their preconceived notions of the job are)
"Tell me about the worst part of your last job"
"Tell me about the best part of your last job"
"Tell me about your day-to-day activity in your last job"
"Have you applied anywhere else?" (Don't ask where, just ask if they have. They'll likely tell you where. Did they apply at 5 waitress jobs, but then applied with you to run a warehouse? Does that tell you they'd be a good fit? But if the other places they've applied are in the same general theme and skill level of your job, then you've found someone that might be a good fit for you)
Loyalty Versus Trust
We "earn" trust. We "break" trust. We don't have trust given to us automatically. So stop looking for someone you can trust, and instead focus on propensity for loyalty.
Were they loyal to their old employers? What's the longest they've held a job?
How do they speak of their prior employer and co-workers? Did they really like their old boss, even if they sometimes didn't see eye-to-eye, or was their boss a flaming a**hole?
It amazes me how many people are disparaging to their old boss (especially if you keep the interview casual), and that tells me everything I need to know about them. Was their boss a jerk? Maybe. But does it matter? Nope.
If the old boss was a jerk, you will be a jerk in their eyes as well.
A loyal person will instead say "Yeah, you know, my boss was in a little bit over his head. But together we got that department up to par, and really made it something to be proud of. Me and [old boss] didn't see eye-to-eye all the time, but we worked through any issues and overall worked well together. Overall I enjoyed my 8 years there" (or something to that effect)
Find someone that showed a bit of loyalty, and you are much more likely to find someone you can trust.
Interview questions:
"Tell me about a time you and your boss didn't agree on something, and how you resolved it"
"What's the longest you've ever held a job?"
"Why did you leave your last job?" (or any job they've had)
"Ever worked for a boss that was just an incompetent pain in the a$$? How did you get through it?" (I love this question. It sort of baits them into opening up about a boss they may not have liked. How they handle answering this says a LOT about them)
"What was the worst thing about your last boss/employer?"
Protection
Have a witness or install cameras to monitor interviews, especially when interviewing any protected classes such as, women, older folks, disabled, or racial minority.
Don't compliment any part of the appearance.
Don't let them talk about discrimination with you. If they complain that they "felt uncomfortable" during their last job due to any discriminatory reasons, just give them a canned response of "I can appreciate your troubles, but I'd rather not talk about anything related to past issues with your employer" (this happens A LOT)
Be aware of federal and state level discrimination laws. Be aware of questions you cannot legally ask. Basically anything related to a protected class is off limits, but there are unusual ones as well. You can't ask if someone own's a car for instance (transportation discrimination is against the law), but you can ask "do you have a reliable way to get to work?"
I'm not a lawyer, so do some due diligence on this and take it seriously.
Benefits and Pay
Providing health insurance and the like is expected and it is unusual if you do not offer this.
Since it is expected, you do not get any brownie points for having it, but you get huge negative points if you don't.
I could never afford most benefits. So I went the Aflac route (still section 125 eligible health insurance, but still "less" than a full health insurance program)
Aflac does not get me a positive when hiring, but it gets me less negative than no insurance at all.
Benefits > Pay
People will pass up higher pay for better benefits, especially health insurance.
People aren't chasing money with a job, they are chasing security. A job with no health insurance, even if the pay is much higher than other options, feels less secure than a job that has health insurance.
If you can afford it, do it.
Also, pay, benefits, full-time vs part-time, etc...all go into the "fit" category above.
It would be a "bad fit" for a COO level employee to take a job with no health insurance and less than full-time for example. Someone in a job that's a bad fit will in turn have no loyalty.
Use your imagination
Here's a great way to hone your gut, and find a good fit.
1) imagine them doing the work. Imagine them doing the day-to-day grind. Imagine directing them in person and over the phone.
Can you see them doing it? Can you pinpoint areas where they might not be a good fit?
2) Imagine them interviewing for jobs after they have already worked for you
Say they worked for you a couple of years. When interviewing with someone else, what would they say about you?
They would say the same things about you as they've said about other prior employers. Would they say good things? Bad things? Hate your guts just because they have a victim mentality? Would they say "yeah, we had our disagreements, but overall it he was a good boss"?
Did they get bored at their last job? Would they say the same about your job a few years from now?
Etc...
This is NOT a reflection of you, but a reflection of how they conduct themselves, and the lens through which they view the world. This ties in directly to both FIT and LOYALTY.
Where do I find these people?
Newspaper ads (believe it or not this still works well)
Monster
Indeed
Word of mouth
I've never used professional recruiters, so I don't have any advice there.
I have used staffing services though (different from recruiters), and they are a complete waste of time and money.
.....................................................
Overall, just find a good fit in regards to actual work performed, and pay/benefits, and it should be pretty simple (note, I didn't say "easy")
Process Summary:
1) Thorough Job Description
2) Find Willing & Able
3) Find Good Fit
4) Find Loyalty
5) Protect Yourself
Hope that helps!