BEWARE OF BAD SELECTION ADVICE

by Jeff Lesher, Certified Master Coach

“I thought she was the right person for the job…”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a variation of that phrase in the wake of another hiring disappointment or disaster…my profit margin would have been considerably enhanced on the jobs I’d won to fix what no one thought was broken.  Just as I depend on people trained to help me with my taxes and keep my car in running order, it’s understandable that most business people need the assistance of a selection expert to:

1. Create an effective selection process (source, vet, choose the right candidates)
2. Develop selection tools (job descriptions, screening/full interview questions, realistic job previews) that reflect their jobs’ critical skills and organizational fit
3. Train all participants in the selection process to choose the best candidates for their organizations and sell them on their opportunities.

Most of us understand that, in areas that are not in our knowledge wheelhouse, we should turn to others to help us.  When it comes to bringing people into or moving them to new positions within our organizations, we have to enlist expert help because the opportunity cost associated with selecting the wrong people is significant and well-documented.  What is shocking to me at this stage of our understanding of the magnitude of the importance of putting the right people in the right jobs is the prevalence of flawed advice advertised as coming from selection experts.  Read the Wall Street Journal, subscribe to Hoovers, or simply Google “interviewing advice,” and you are as likely to come up with counsel to:

• Ask hypothetical questions,
• Make note of your impressions of a candidate, or
• Use pop psychology barometers like “are you lucky?”

Don’t be fooled by this type of advice born of the idea that there’s a clever and/or easier way to find out what you need to know to make good decisions.  Also, don’t forget that the manner in which you conduct your selection process has a significant impact in the candidate’s impression of you and your organization, and his/her likelihood of accepting your offer.

Research and experience tells us what works…but we still have to do what works and do it effectively

Knowing what to do and doing it is the age-old challenge that we face in everything from diet and exercise to financial well-being.  Dedication in developing an effective selection process and discipline in applying it to select the right candidates seems very difficult to a lot of people.

Consider how much effort is required, though, to re-source, re-interview, and onboard new hires to refill jobs after you hire (and fire) the wrong people.  Also, get yourself to honestly assess how hard it is to carry on a conversation with someone about whom you’re trying to learn more (which is what a good interview is about).  Those reality checks likely lower your defenses enough to be more amenable to what you need to make sure is in place or need to make happen in order to invest as much effort in picking your team as your organization likely invests in selecting your office supply company.  Each step is critical and interdependent.  Each step requires your effort whether or not you retain the services of an expert to guide your through it. And, as with most behavior change efforts, progress occurs in fits and starts.  That said, you can’t afford the guess work allowed for when you don’t have a good plan in place and skills to execute your plan.

I encourage you to do your own research and credential checking to find someone who really knows what they’re talking about.  My perspective and recommendations are based on more than 20 years of investigation and study of selection, and my experience as an interviewing manager, corporate recruitment leader, and an expert consultant in enabling value creation through people.  My recommendations for selection and performance success are:

• Clarify your organization or business unit “end game” (what you are trying to accomplish) to insure your team is on the same page
• Know who you are (your personality)
• Align your strategy with your mission (make sure what you are doing will help you achieve your end game)
• Identify and define your critical success factors (the things that separate the winners from the losers in your organization – Commitment? Integrity? Client focus?)
• Plan your selection process from recruitment through onboarding to insure getting and keeping the best people
• Embed these behavioral descriptions of what success looks like into the questions your include in each interview
• Train your team to conduct themselves effectively in the selection process (to attract candidates, gather good information the right way, rate skills, and choose the best candidate from several)
• Apply your process, critique your performance, and incorporate what you learn to enhance your process. Repeat.

As someone who is passionate about helping organizations learn to help themselves, I look forward to hearing from you with questions, challenges, and – most of all – with success stories.

Jeff

jlesher@aksciences.com

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