Honest and Effective Interviewing, Ethical Hiring, Making Offers, and Keeping Your Best

Interviewing Effectively 
While interviewing, the hiring manager or executive needs to screen for technical aptitude, project management skills, etc.; but he or she must also be aware that candidates are at a premium. Make introductory meetings brief and convenient for potential candidates. Do not phone screen local candidates unless you are willing to take the risk of insulting them. There is no substitute for eye contact and a handshake to make your first impression (and you only have one chance to make that first impression.)The proper recruiting attitude will increase your chances of filling the position.

The hiring manager is, in effect, courting the candidate. You do not want to scare the candidate off by appearing too eager, but you also do not want to lose him or her because it has been too long between "dates". Don't lose a good one just because the candidate "is the first one I've seen." If you are working with a competent recruiter who has the candidate's trust, use the recruiter for direction on timing. You will want to appear competent and able to make things happen at your company.

Include peers in the final interviews. Leaving them out can look suspicious to the candidate, and it boosts staff morale to include the team. If it is an IT position, include users as well. If it is a managerial position, include at least two potential subordinates. Again, the staff's morale can suffer when an unknown entity becomes the new boss. Because of high turnover, all candidates deserve to be introduced to two levels of management.

This is a good opportunity to discuss hiring ethics. It is my experience that hiring managers misrepresent corporate situations far more often than candidates misrepresent their backgrounds. Usually, this is done by omission. It is best to be rigorously honest about the situation before extending an offer. Again, a good recruiter can help you with timing. My experience is that all negatives can be overcome if they are brought up appropriately in the process. You will retain more of your staff if there are fewer surprises upon starting. Topics to cover before an offer is made include: team morale, problem subordinates, political infighting, hostile co-workers, unhappy customers, high turnover, and the history of this particular position.

Be honest about recent "bad news" regarding your company. For example, most companies have experienced a layoff or four in the last few years. Be prepared to discuss how layoffs have been handled. Fairly, with decent severances? Your company's layoff need not scare off a candidate, and a sign-on bonus can even the risk perceived by the candidate.

Try to avoid secretive recruiting. It leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. If you are replacing an existing employee, and you want that employee to stay until you have their replacement, retain him or her with golden handcuffs. Interviewing behind their back will not be viewed favorably by other employees or candidates.

Communicate your expectations to the candidate for the first month, quarter, and year. Be clear on what training, budgets, and headcount you expect to provide. When enticing good candidates with upcoming state-of-the-art projects, be sure to be clear on the status of these. An employee may leave your employment justifiably disgruntled if you promised exposure to relational database technology, but forgot to mention that your purchase order was still sitting on the VP's desk. Do not misrepresent the facts. It will cost you and your hiring budget less in the long run to tell the truth candidly.

Assess your style as a manager and hire accordingly. Look for team members that will fit with your management style. Whom have you enjoyed managing and why? Different personalities are going to respond favorably to certain challenges, and a complementary business approach is often worth more than a specific toolkit. For example, does it make you nervous when subordinates seem to "go around" you? Or do you view it as initiative? The same behavior is perceived differently by different managers.

Ask candidates to describe their favorite position. What are their chances of finding a complementary culture in your department? Be aware of occupational style. Some employees prefer a quiet environment where they interface one-on-one. Some grow bored unless involved in frequent, boisterous group meetings.

Avoid interviewing gimmicks from twenty years ago. High-pressure intimidation techniques turn people off, as does game playing. Be yourself to get an honest appraisal of how the person will react to you.

Hiring Decisions
Probably the biggest hiring mistakes we have witnessed are those hires that go against someone's intuition. Pay attention to your "gut feeling" and do not override it if it is particularly strong. Heartache on both sides can be avoided if you honor this sixth sense.

Finally, consider ethics. I always ask, "Are we doing EVERYONE a favor by bringing this candidate on board?"

For some candidates, you may be asking them to leap from the frying pan into the fire; for others, your opportunity may be the break they have needed. Ask yourself if they will have furthered their career, decreased their stress level, or enhanced their lifestyle by accepting your position.

Offers
When you have made your hiring decision, make your best offer first. If you trust your recruiter, field a verbal offer first to avoid unnecessary paperwork and embarassment. Do not try to save pennies on salaries or enter into excessive negotiations; it makes you look cheap. It is reasonable to expect an answer immediately, if the interviewing process has been thorough and candid. If your company has been unstable and/or had high turnover, a sign-on bonus of at least one month's salary is not unreasonable. If your corporate environment requires great personal sacrifice, consider stock grants in addition to options.

Do not let an offer hang. Set a start date quickly, and mention that you are looking forward to it. If it is more than two weeks away, schedule a lunch to maintain the interest level and ward off the "enemy" counteroffer. (Just a note about counteroffers: don't make them. Studies show they are devastating to your team's morale, and they rarely achieve what you need, even for the intermediate term.)

Keeping Good People
In general, people do not like to change companies. They want to stay where they are (we should know!) They have to be decidedly unhappy about something to even consider moving to another opportunity. Very few candidates sell out for a few thousand dollars. The ones that leave feel insulted or under-appreciated.

Money alone is not usually the answer to keeping employees happy (though underpaying will insult them). Comfort, camaraderie, opportunity, and good treatment keep employee morale high. Rarely is a candidate's motivation to move financial; most candidates are motivated by opportunities to further their career or enhance their lifestyle only if their current employer shows no sign of coming through.

For example, many companies have opted to bring in consultants rather than train their senior staff in new technology. Management's rationale has been that if their senior staff is trained, the individuals will become marketable and leave. It is our experience that if you treat your people well, you will keep them. We do know that if you do not train them, and you continue to pay consultants $175/hour instead, your employees will definitely leave.

In order to keep your current staff satisfied, remember the promises you made while interviewing, and deliver whenever possible. If there is a disappointing change of corporate direction, be candid about it; you will inspire more group loyalty, and an employee is less likely to feel cheated. Strike a compromise between existing projects and new avenues for exploration. Even in companies with frequent layoffs and project status changes, good management can attract excellent talent and retain employee loyalty.

Copyright 2002 by Linda J. Tuerk. All rights reserved.