Chapter 4
Twenty-Five Mistakes Companies Make in Hiring
In This Chapter
➤ Starting off on the wrong foot
➤ Not using all available resources
➤ Failure to properly prescreen applicants
➤ Making unwise decisions
➤ Losing applicants you want to hire
What do you do when a vacancy develops in your department? Most managers hate expending the time, energy, and emotional drain that the hiring process involves. It takes them away from their regular duties; adds extra hours to their day; and worst of all, often they fear they will make the wrong choice and have to go through the whole process over again in a few months.
In most large companies (and in many smaller firms), the human resources department handles recruiting and selection of new employees. Even so, line supervisors and team leaders have to participate in the process; almost always, they also will interview prospects. After all, they are the people to whom the person hired will report and ultimately they are responsible for the new employee’s success or failure.
In some companies there might not be an HR department or, if there is one, it is situated at the home office; so managers at branch facilities are required to do the hiring themselves. Unfortunately, although these managers usually are skilled in performing work in their own specialty, they don’t have the training and experience required for successful hiring.
I have had the opportunity to observe the hiring processes in hundreds of companies. I’ve witnessed countless errors that have resulted in wasted time and effort at minimum, and in hiring people who were doomed to fail at worst. This chapter will identify the 25 most frequently made hiring mistakes and will provide suggestions on how to overcome them.
Getting Started All Wrong
The hiring process, like all effective processes, must be carefully planned. You cannot wait until a vacancy occurs. It takes careful thinking about the job, a thoughtfully developed job analysis, and a continuous updating of all of the jobs in your organization.
Management Miscellany
According to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the cost of hiring an employee is 1.5 times the annual salary. This includes recruiting costs, training time, and lost productivity as co-workers and supervisors pitch in during the time the job is left unfilled.
#1—Not Updating the Specs
It might seem logical to start by pulling out the current job description and specifications, and searching for somebody who qualifies. But is it really logical? The job description might have been written several years ago—and jobs change over time. What is being done today might be somewhat different from what was done then. It’s a good idea to review carefully and critically every job description before starting the search to refill it.
For example, one common reason for a job to become available is the voluntary resignation of an employee. An example of this is Lisa, a customer service representative, who notifies you that she’s decided to go back to school and will leave the job in two weeks. When Lisa was hired, customer service reps wrote out customer complaints on a form, checked them out, and then telephoned or wrote to the customer with the results and suggested solutions. During her tenure all this became computerized so that many of the problems could be checked and adjusted during the first telephone call.
Although Lisa was very good in her dealings with customers, her computer skills were poor and she was much slower than other reps. Thus, the job description and job specifications should be rewritten with more emphasis placed on computer skills. Details on job analysis and how to write job descriptions and specifications will be given in Chapter 5, “Starting the Search.”
#2—Inflexible Specs
Job specs can be so rigid that you’re unable to find anyone who meets all your requirements. Sometimes you have to make compromises. Reexamine the job specs and set priorities. Which of the specs are nonnegotiable? These requirements are the ones a new employee absolutely must bring to a job; otherwise, there is no way the job can be done. For example, a candidate must have a jet pilot’s license to fly the company plane; another candidate must be able to do machine work to precise measurements in order for the work to pass inspection.
Meanings and Gleanings
Job analysis includes a description of the duties and responsibilities of the job (job description) and the background required to perform the job (job specification ).
Other specs are not essential but preferable. For example, the job calls for using spreadsheets. It is preferable that the applicant is experienced with Microsoft Excel, but having worked with other spreadsheets or similar programs should be acceptable as software specifics can easily be learned on the job.
Suppose that your specs call for sales experience. One of the applicants has no job experience in selling, but as a volunteer was a top fundraiser for the local community theater. That person might be able to do the job. In seeking to fill a job, the manager or supervisor should make every effort to abide by the job specs. However, the manager also should have the authority to use his or her judgment to determine when deviation from the job specs is acceptable.
#3—Establishing Unrealistic Specifications
You may dream up specs that you would ideally like to have, but are rarely found in candidates for the open job. Don’t make the mistake of establishing unrealistic specifications that really are not needed to perform the job. By mandating them, the best candidates might be eliminated for the wrong reasons.
For example, when the Property Development Corporation expanded its Minneapolis division, one of the jobs it created was that of a divisional controller. The job included managing the accounting department, dealing with banks and other financial institutions, and coordinating financial matters with the home office. In determining the specifications for the job, the company required comprehensive experience in similar work, a degree in accounting, an MBA, and certification as a CPA (certified public accountant).
Are these educational requirements truly needed for success in the job? Because the job calls for extensive knowledge of accounting, the degree in accounting most likely is an essential factor—but why an MBA? Graduate degrees in business can provide a good deal of knowledge and analytical skills. However, the specific skills needed to be a successful controller also can be acquired, not in graduate school, but by extensive, hands-on work experience.
If an MBA is a requirement, men and women who have the necessary skills but not the degree will be eliminated. To avoid this, the MBA instead should be considered as only one method of acquiring the skills needed to do the job. Lack of the degree should not eliminate an otherwise viable candidate.
Let’s look at the requirement for certification (CPA). Certification is required for accountants working as public accountants, whose work involves dealing with clients’ accounts and certifying their accuracy. The CPA license is needed for a career in public accounting, but is not necessary for accounting positions in companies or organizations. A background in auditing and other public accounting activities might be a valuable asset for controllers—and it certainly is not a negative factor. However, to make it a job requirement also might eliminate the best-qualified applicants.
#4—Waiting for Vacancies
Sometimes you know when a person plans to leave. She might be reaching retirement age; he might decide to be a stay-at-home dad once his child is born. This gives you weeks or months to find a replacement. But often, it’s a complete surprise. Sarah finds a better job and gives you two weeks notice; Tom is badly injured in a car accident and will be out for months.
Some jobs are more difficult to fill than others. Unless there’s a plan for hiring new people, the job might go unfilled for a long time. Implementing an ongoing recruiting policy can minimize such problems. Even if there is no vacancy in your department, accept applications from good prospects and keep an active resource file; this way, when an opening does occur you have a head start in the recruiting process.
#5—Settling for a “Warm Body”
The job is open and the right candidate just hasn’t come along; so you hire a marginally qualified person to just “do the work.” Big mistake. This is how companies often wind up with a glut of marginal workers. You figure you can train them to become at least “satisfactory”; but the time, energy, and money spent rarely pays off. It’s better to get the work done by utilizing other team members to meet work schedules, employing temps, or outsourcing the work. Take your time and aim for well-qualified people.
#6—Cloning the Incumbents
In seeking to replace an effective employee who has moved on, companies often seek that person’s mirror image. For example, you loved Diane. You wish you had 10 like her. When she left because her husband was transferred to another city, you were devastated. Your goal: Hire another Diane. So you use her background as the specs for her replacement. Diane graduated from an Ivy League college; therefore, her replacement must come from an Ivy League school. Diane always dressed in bright colors—really made the place more cheerful—therefore, applicants with bright clothes will be preferred. Before she worked in your company, Diane worked in a bank; bank experience is important, and so on.
Conversely, if he or she was not effective, an employer might search for the exact opposite. For example, you fired Alfred. Alfred was from New York; thus, his successor should come from a smaller community. Alfred was an avid sports fan—he always talked about sports. People like that don’t really concentrate on their work; no sports fans. Alfred had a background in Macintosh computers. Although he did learn our PCs, he always complained that Macs were better. Therefore, no Mac users, and on and on.
Such trivial factors often enter into the unofficial job specs. It is unwise to use the incumbent or a predecessor’s personal characteristics as significant factors in determining the qualifications for a job. Not only can it keep you from hiring the best-qualified person; it might overly influence you to hire an unqualified person.
Recruiting Resources
To get the best possible candidates for a job, it’s a good idea to use as many sources as possible. Just because the last administrative assistant you hired came from an ad in the local paper doesn’t mean you can depend exclusively on running an ad. Open your mind, open your Rolodex, and use your imagination to broaden the market.
#7—Up from the Ranks
Promoting or transferring a current employee to a new position is commendable and should be encouraged. Internal candidates are known factors. The company has seen them in action and knows their strengths and weaknesses, personality quirks, work habits, attendance and punctuality patterns, and all the little things that months or years of observation uncover. Additionally, promoting and transferring from within are good for employee morale and motivation.
However, a problem arises when a company tries to limit the candidates for a position to only current employees. In this highly competitive world, a company should attempt to find the very best candidate for an open position. That person might not currently be on your payroll.
Management Miscellany
When companies fill advanced positions primarily with current employees, they tend to perpetuate the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of the staff. To achieve a diverse workforce, expand the resources from which you choose candidates for all positions.
There was a time when companies boasted that when the chairman retired, they hired a junior clerk; everybody moved up a notch. In today’s large organizations it is more likely that there are many highly competent people available to fill the new openings—and of course they should be seriously considered. However, a search for outside candidates might bring to the company skills and expertise currently lacking, and new ideas that often elude people already established in the organization.
#8—Relying on a Friend of a Friend
Personal contacts are excellent sources for referrals. People you know from your business and social worlds often might be ideal candidates themselves or might recommend highly qualified people from their networks. Indeed, networking can be a prime source of potential applicants.
However, using personal contacts has its downside. First, the people you contact might not know anybody at this time who is qualified. Worse yet, they might palm off a friend or relative who needs a job but has limited abilities applicable to your opening. Turning down a friend of a friend might jeopardize your personal or business relationship with the person who made the referral.
Another problem might occur when you are overly impressed with the personality or sociability of a person you know, but fail to consider his or her true capability for the open position. A good example of this is Harry, the sales manager of Amalgamated Products. Harry was always looking for good salespeople. He had known Jim for years; they belonged to the same golf club and occasionally played together or socialized in the restaurant or bar. When Harry learned that Jim was looking for a job, he offered him a position on his sales force.
It didn’t take long for Harry to realize that Jim needed considerable training and supervision if he was to succeed. It was only after months of wasted effort and frustration that Harry finally let him go. Had Harry used even minimum screening, he would have learned that Jim had a pattern of failure in his previous jobs.
Many companies encourage their current employees to recommend friends and acquaintances for open jobs. This can be a valuable resource and should be used. However, it should be made clear that a referral by a current employee is not a guarantee of a job and that the applicant will be treated as any other applicant.
#9—Ads That Don’t Pull
Help wanted advertising is expensive. You might be running a classified ad in the local paper to fill a clerical or blue-collar position, or a display ad in a national publication for a technical expert or an executive. Either way, the results can range from just a few replies to a deluge of resumés.
No matter how many responses you receive, the key is whether the respondents actually fit the job. Too many companies place ads that either do not pull at all or bring in a plethora of responses from unqualified people. Too many managers write help wanted ads without giving them adequate thought. They scribble the ad on a scratch pad while waiting for a phone call to go through or on a paper napkin while eating lunch. It’s worth the time to learn how to write and place effective ads. You can get help in writing ads from your own advertising department or an ad agency.
#10—Failure to Take Proactive Steps in Seeking Candidates
Are your recruiters surfing the Internet on a 24/7 basis? Are they visiting the Web sites of competitors to identify their top producers and attempting to entice them away? Are they reviewing the constant flow of listings on the Internet referral services such as Monster.com, Careerpath.com, and others to look for the talents needed by your firm?
Screening Fiascos
Management Miscellany
Studies show that when screening responses received from an ad, employment specialists spend an average of 30 seconds reading each resumé before deciding whether the applicant should be given further consideration.
Management Miscellany
According to a poll of 400 employers taken by Recruiters Network of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August 2000, 59 percent of respondents reported that Internet recruiting significantly reduced the cost per hire.
Whether you have located the candidate through an ad, a referral, or online, it takes time—lots of time—to filter out the unqualified and select those you think are worthy of an interview. Once an applicant is invited for an interview, depending on the type of position, an initial interview can take anywhere from 10 minutes to more than an hour.
How much time do you have to devote to interviewing? Even if you are a full-time interviewer in the human resources department, there are only so many hours each day you can schedule. If you are a team leader, department head, or senior executive your day probably is already full and interviewing means putting in extra hours. You must be able to prescreen candidates so that those you interview are viable prospects for the position.
#11—Resumé Fantasies
The prescreening tactic most often used is the resumé. Most employers ask prospective employees to provide a resumé either before the first meeting or at the interview. As resumés are written to impress prospective employers, you must learn how to separate the facts from the fluff.
Beware of the functional-style resumé. In this format, the writer describes the functions performed in previous jobs. This is very helpful in learning about the applicant’s background but often is used to play up functions in which the applicant has only superficial knowledge. If the applicant wishes to hide it, the resumé might not indicate the duration of the experience or the name or type of company in which it was obtained.
For example, Gertrude has used a functional format. She lists four functions: administration, data processing, human resources, and secretarial. Although 80 percent of her job was secretarial, her resumé gives the impression that she was equally involved in all four functions. This doesn’t mean you should not consider Gertrude for the job. It does mean that you must be prepared to ask very specific questions about the details of her experience in each of the functions listed.
When seeking an information technology (IT) position, Ted used the more traditional chronological resumé. However, instead of listing the dates of his employment, he noted only the number of years spent in each position followed by a description of the duties performed. For example:
Systems Specialist, ABC Co. (5 years)
Programmer, XYZ Co. (3 years)
Sales Representative, Apex Insurance Co. (8 years)
Programmer, XYZ Co. (3 years)
Sales Representative, Apex Insurance Co. (8 years)
This gives the impression that the past eight years were in computer work; in reality, the most recent job was the last one listed—selling insurance. He has been away from computer work for some time—and the field has changed significantly during those years.
#12—Prescreening Foibles
Sometimes when companies are in a rush to fill a job, they might ask applicants to call for appointments or come right to the office, making it difficult to prescreen candidates. Despite all the problems of reading and evaluating resumés, they do help to eliminate unqualified people, which saves interviewing time. When no resumé is used, it is more difficult to weed out time-wasting candidates. One way to overcome this is by a carefully structured telephone interview. Asking good questions will help determine whether or not to invite the candidate in for an interview. This will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 7, “Screening Candidates.”
#13—The Casual Interview
An interview should be more than a polite conversation. Yet, many interviewers sit down with the applicant and expect that by asking a few questions about his or her background and discussing the job requirements, they will get enough information to make a hiring decision.
Personnel Perils
Remember, a resumé is written to promote the applicant. Don’t take it at face value. In studying it, read between the lines and try to determine what the applicant really has accomplished.
To ensure that you obtain significant information about a candidate, you must ask very specific questions. The answers should indicate whether that person can perform the job and what he or she can offer in comparison with competing applicants. (This may or may not develop into a pleasant conversation.)
You also must design a definite interview structure that will elicit key points of the position, allow the candidate to discuss credentials and accomplishments, and enable the interviewer to size up the applicant’s personal characteristics. Some methods of doing this will be discussed in Chapter 8, “Becoming a Better Interviewer.”
#14—Overly Structuring the Interview
In their efforts to cover all the bases, some interviewers overly structure their interview plan. They make a list of questions and read them to each candidate. This way, they will get responses that enable them to determine basic qualifications. Because the questions are the same for each applicant, answers can easily be compared and the differences among the candidates clearly defined.
Sounds good? Maybe. The problem is that quite often an answer requires a follow-up question. If you stick to the structure—with no flexibility—you might miss an important point. For example:
Interviewer: What was your greatest accomplishment on that job?
Applicant: I saved the company a lot of money.
Interviewer: What was your greatest disappointment on that job?
Applicant: I saved the company a lot of money.
Interviewer: What was your greatest disappointment on that job?
Note that the interviewer asked the next question on the list instead of following through and finding out what the applicant did that saved the company money. The answer to that might have opened the door to even more questions that would give considerable insight into the prospect’s qualifications. As noted, there will be many more suggestions for improving your interviewing skills in Chapter 8.
Tactical Tips
Make every question count. If the answer is vague or unclear, ask an appropriate follow-up question.
#15—“You Can’t Ask That!”
It’s been over 30 years since the federal Equal Employment Opportunity law was established. You’d think companies would no longer be asking applicants questions that are considered unlawful. Yet, every day some interviewer in some company—maybe yours—will ask a question that shouldn’t be asked.
Why? Sometimes it’s ignorance of the laws. Most employment professionals know the laws and abide by them. However, as noted before, team leaders, managers, and often team members participate in the interviewing process. Many of these people have only vague concepts of the laws. And, as in many matters with legal implications, it’s not always clear just what the law allows and prohibits.
To determine whether the candidate will be available for overtime work, you might think you should ask if she has any young children. Uh oh! Illegal! Perhaps the applicant has an unusual name. You’re curious, so you ask, “What kind of a name is that?” When the applicant is rejected for whatever reason, he files a complaint against you claiming discrimination because of national origin. This might not have had anything to do with his rejection; but because you asked, the burden is on you to prove otherwise.
Make it your business to learn what the laws require. You can get much of the information you need to make a hiring decision without violating any laws. A list of lawful and unlawful questions is provided in Chapter 8.
#16—Telling Too Much Too Soon
One of the major errors interviewers make is to tell the applicant all about the job early in the interview. Often they might give the applicant a copy of the job description before the interview begins. Why is this bad? This enables the smart applicant to tailor his or her background to fit the job description. For example, the open job calls for somebody who has extensive experience in administering employee benefits. In her last job, Shirley had some exposure to benefits. Knowing that this is an important aspect of the open position, Shirley might play up—perhaps exaggerate—her background in this field.
Of course, the applicant should have some concept of the job for which he or she is being interviewed. The best way to do this is to first ask questions about the applicant’s background in the pertinent area. After the response, describe how that experience relates to the job. Some ways to structure the interview to get an unbiased response will also be discussed in Chapter 8.
#17—Verify, Verify, Verify!
The applicant has presented you with a slick resumé and comes across well in the interview. Before you make the decision, you should verify that what the applicant claims is true. The purpose of the reference check is to verify the applicant’s statements and perhaps catch the “artful liar.”
Unfortunately, this essential part of the employment process often is disregarded or treated much too casually. Often the background check is assigned to a junior employee who might send reference letters to previous employers or telephone them—with little training or know-how in asking probing questions and interpreting the responses.
Additionally, in recent years many companies have been advised by their attorneys to avoid giving any reference information for fear of defamation suits. Companies often limit responses to reference inquiries to the dates of employment and some general information about job duties. Because of this, some organizations don’t bother to check out potential employees and take them at face value. This can be a costly mistake. It’s important that you make every effort to get as much information as possible about an applicant before you make the hiring decision.
Personnel Perils
Automatically rejecting an applicant because of a poor reference can be a mistake. You might lose a good applicant for the wrong reason. Arrange for another interview. Don’t mention the poor reference, but ask questions that might uncover the reason for it. Hold your judgment until you know the entire story.
Decision Making Goofs
The bottom line in the hiring procedure is selecting the best candidate for the open position. There are times when there are very few qualified people and you might be tempted to lower your standards; this can be a costly mistake. It’s far better to keep looking. On the other hand, you might be blessed with a choice of several good candidates; you want to pick the best. Watch out for some of the following mistakes when making that important decision.
#18—“The Applicant’s So Charming”
There’s an old saying that the decision to hire or not to hire often is made in the first 30 seconds of the interview. There is some truth to this. One of the major factors in hiring is the interviewer’s first impression of the applicant—and that is primarily physical appearance. This has been categorized as lookism—overemphasis on appearance.
Common sense tells us that just because a person is attractive is no indication of competence. However, it’s a well-known fact that good-looking people are far more likely to be hired than equally qualified but less attractive people. Both men and women usually will decide in favor of the better-looking applicant.
For instance, in an informal exercise I administered at a series of seminars a few years ago, I distributed to the participants a job description and several resumés of equally qualified prospective candidates. Half the class received resumés with photos of the applicants attached; the other half had no photos. In virtually every instance, the participants who received photos selected the more attractive candidate. The selections of the nonphoto group were about equally divided among all the candidates.
Some first impressions create a halo effect: Because you are so impressed by some superficial facet, it is assumed that all other aspects of a candidate are outstanding. He’s so charming; he must be a good salesman. She speaks so well; she’ll make a great supervisor. However, halo effects are not limited only to appearance.
Meanings and Gleanings
The opposite of a halo effect is called a pitchfork effect. In this case, one poor characteristic causes you to assume that the person is unsatisfactory in all aspects.
Sometimes because an applicant is highly competent in one aspect of a job, it is assumed that he or she is equally competent in others. For instance, Charles could type on the word processor at 90 words per minute. With that speed, the supervisor figured he had hired a winner. It wasn’t until after Charles started work that they realized speed was his only asset. He was temperamental, a poor organizer, had a poor attendance record, and had other unsatisfactory work habits.
Poor first impressions might cause you to reject an otherwise well-qualified candidate. An applicant might be downgraded in your mind because he or she does not speak well—important if the job calls for oral communication. However, this should not be a factor in jobs in which extensive oral communication is not required.
For instance, one of my clients wouldn’t even consider an applicant who had a straggly beard and long, unkempt hair. He hired him only after the person who referred the applicant persuaded him that the man was a computer whiz. The employee has since solved countless technical problems for the company and has saved it tens of thousands of dollars.
#19—Watch Your Biases
We all have biases. Biases are not limited to prejudice against people because of race, religion, or sex. They can be based on long-held beliefs, stereotypes, personal tastes, or idiosyncrasies.
At one seminar I asked participants to share with the group some of their hiring mistakes. Most people told about people they hired who didn’t make the grade. However, one participant told about a salesman he had rejected. At a luncheon meeting for a trade association, the sales manager of a competitor was bragging about his top sales rep, who in his first year broke all records for acquiring new accounts. When the competitor mentioned the rep’s name, it rang a bell. After recalling having interviewed him some time ago, he checked his files. Sure enough, he had interviewed and rejected him. Why? His notes on the application just said “not suitable.” Then he remembered that he had turned him down because he was wearing a bow tie. His stupid bias against bow ties kept him from hiring a potential winner.
Tactical Tips
To get the best people, recognize your own biases and do your best to keep them from influencing your decision. (For example: “He fits this job and I won’t eliminate him just because he’s short.”)
#20—Is It a Good Match?
The whole purpose of developing a list of realistic job specifications is to ensure that the person hired can fulfill all (or most of) the responsibilities of the job. Often it is difficult—if not impossible—to find somebody with all of the requirements. In such cases, choose the specs that are absolutely essential and identify those areas in which a new employee can be trained.
There are certain aspects of most jobs in which experience or technical know-how is essential and cannot be taught on the job. The big mistake organizations make is to hire a candidate who might be qualified for several of the specs but is weak in the essential areas. For example, the job calls for background in A, B, and C; the most important is C. Even though Betty has experience in all three, her weakest area is C. Keep looking.
#21—Don’t Overlook the Intangibles
When making a hiring decision, it’s extremely important to evaluate the intangibles. Too often, the employer limits the selection procedure to determining whether the applicant is technically qualified. Many interviewers overlook such factors as ability to work in a team, communicate ideas, work under pressure, be flexible, and countless other personality factors that make up the human being.
These intangibles are just as important as education, skills, and experience and really determine the degree of success on a job. In making your job analysis, be as diligent in determining the intangible factors as you are in the tangible factors. More on this in Chapter 9, “Making the Hiring Decision.”
Losing Good Applicants
You have screened hundreds of resumés, interviewed dozens of applicants, tested or sent many of them for evaluation, and checked references. You finally make up your mind and make an offer—only to have it rejected by the applicant. This is the most frustrating experience one can have in the hiring process. Why does this happen?
#22—Making Unrealistic Job Offers
The terms of employment should be well thought out long before an offer is made. However, too many companies have a preconceived idea of the offer before they even interview applicants. This makes for sound business, but unless the offer is shaped to fit the needs of the applicant, there’s a good chance it will not be accepted.
The major part of the job offer is the salary. We’ll talk about this in the following section. Other key aspects of the job should be clarified to the candidate before you make an offer. This includes the amount of travel required, hours of work including the likelihood of extensive overtime, whether the job will call for relocation now or in the future, and any other special aspects of the position. Don’t surprise the applicant at the time of the offer with, “By the way, you will have to go to our plant in California for three months of training.”
#23—The Compensation Package Is Too Low
With lower-level employees, salary is nonnegotiable. It’s “take it or leave it.” However, when the position at any level is hard to fill, you must be more flexible or you’ll lose the best applicants. Companies may have to rethink their compensation policies in periods when applicants are in short supply.
It’s not necessary or even advisable to commit to a salary too early in the interviewing process. There are many factors that should be considered when determining the final financial package. However, it makes sense to clearly establish the salary range early on. If your idea of salary differs radically from that of the applicant’s there is no point in considering him or her seriously for a position.
Perhaps your benefits package is significantly poorer than other firms in the community or industry. For example, one of the most sought-after benefits is health insurance. The plan you have is not as good as other firms competing for the same type personnel. You’d better improve your medical plan to bring it in line with those of other firms or many applicants will turn you down.
Most benefits plans are standardized. However, increasingly organizations are constructing individual benefit programs for each employee. The amount paid into the package might vary with the position and pay scale. The specifics of what is covered within the package can be tailored to fit the desires of the employee. Salary and benefits will be discussed further in Part 4 of this book, “Money, Money, Money.”
#24—The Spouse Is Unwilling to Relocate
Everything seemed to go okay. You’ve brought the applicant to your facility on three separate occasions. You agree on the terms of the job. He appears to be enthusiastic about the job. And then, surprise! He phones and tells you that his wife doesn’t want to move to your city. How could this have been avoided? When a job calls for relocation, it’s imperative that you spend considerable time with both husband and wife to ensure that both are amenable to the relocation.
Let’s look at Tom and Geri. Tom is being considered for a senior position in your IT (information technology) department. You recognize early in the interviewing process that Tom is a viable candidate. This is when you should point out that the job calls for relocating and invite his wife to the facility so she can observe the new community for herself.
When Tom and Geri come to town, have one of your staff give Geri a tour of the town and try to uncover any special concerns she might have. Be prepared to discuss schools (if there are school-age children), cultural and entertainment activities, religious facilities, and housing. If Geri is interested in finding a job in her own field, give her information about that field and help her locate a suitable job.
If Geri has any reservations, try to bring them out into the open and discuss them with both her and Tom; preferably over lunch or dinner. If she is still not happy about the move—and you cannot persuade her to change her mind—it is better to find out in the early stages of the interviewing process. This way, Tom can withdraw from consideration before the decision is made to hire him.
#25—A Counteroffer Is Made
Talk about frustration—here is one of the worst examples: After all the time, energy, thought, and emotional turmoil you have experienced in the hiring process, you offer the job to Tom, and he accepts it. You think your troubles are over and you can get back to work. A week later, Tom calls and tells you he gave notice to his boss and was made a counteroffer, so he has decided to stay. You have to start all over again.
You must expect that counteroffers will be made to good workers. You probably have done the same when one of your best people gave notice. To beat this, you have to be proactive. You must prepare the person to whom you make a job offer to expect and reject a counteroffer. Some methods of doing this will be discussed in Chapter 9.
Hiring staff is one of the most important roles a manager has. Picking the wrong people can cost you money, time, and emotional upset. By keeping these 25 hiring errors in mind every time a job has to be filled or refilled, you’ll be a more effective manager and do a more credible job for your company.
The Least You Need to Know
➤ Plan the hiring process before you even look for applicants and stick to the plan. Develop job specs that are realistic and have direct bearing on job success.
➤ To get the best possible candidates for your job openings, it’s smart to use as many resources as possible. Prescreen candidates so those you do interview are viable prospects for the position.
➤ Interviews must have a definite structure designed to elicit the key points, allow the candidate to discuss credentials and accomplishments, and enable the interviewer to size up the applicant’s personal characteristics.
➤ In addition to salary and benefits, factors that should be made clear before making a formal job offer are travel requirements, hours of work including the likelihood of extensive overtime, whether the job calls for relocation, and any other special aspects of the position.
➤ You must expect that counteroffers will be made to good workers. Be proactive. Prepare the person to whom you make a job offer to expect and reject a counteroffer.
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