Putting an ad in the newspaper or using an employment agency
will not guarantee that the next person you screen will have
the qualifications you seek. It is very possible that your
ad will generate significantly more responses than you
anticipated. Do not look for good employees without a good
reason. You will want to hold interviews that help filter
out the unqualified candidates and locate the highly
qualified people you seek.
The interview really is the part in the screening process
where you are going to find the best person for the job.
Scanning through piles of resumes day in and day out does
not mean you are going to find the person you are looking
for. The interview process can take over an hour to find
out the expectations and requirements of candidates while
giving you time to share company goals and other relevant
information, and that is for every person you interview!
Resume Selection
A good resume will include a cover letter and references.
Some job seekers find professional resume writers to create
a target resume that addresses all of the qualifications
you're searching for in an employee. Others choose to
create their own and often fall short of grabbing your
interest. But that doesn't mean that you should judge an
applicant by "who" creates the resume.
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Look closely at their job history. Have they moved from job
to job? Has the person stayed at a job longer then 5-years?
Did they leave previous employers contact information as a
job reference? What skills outside of your requirements do
the individual posses?
As an example, imagine you need a receptionist who can type
40 words per minute and answer a multi-line phone system.
So, you want a resume with prior front office experience
with emphasis on customer service. But, you at least want
to believe that the person will want to stay on with the
company and grow into new positions. So, if the candidate
has had a couple of years of accounting experience or is
taking night classes for business, this person has the
potential to grow with the company. A good choice, really.
Don't overlook the inexperienced. Sometimes an employee
that has less experience in the field you want them too
engage in is a better employee. The reason - - this
employee is trainable and willing to learn 'how' you do
things. Chances are he or she will sore beyond your
expectations and stay with your company longer.
Conducting an Interview
If you are looking at Bob's resume you quickly see that he
has 8 years of experience in an administrative role and 3
years of experience working in a fast food restaurant. So
if you need someone to perform light administrative tasks,
as well as answer phones and handle customer questions, is
Bob your man? Well, he has the administrative skills but
seems to be coming up short on the customer service side of
things. When you probe a little deeper, you find that Bob
was an assistant manager at the fast food place and
therefore had to field customer and employee complaints day
in and day out. Although the experience is not exactly what
you were looking for, dealing with people in a fast food
place can be very demanding and that means that Bob could
probably handle your customer base with ease. Similar
experience is definitely something to consider when
evaluating candidate potential.
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Evaluation
The process can take more than a day, a week, or a month.
Give yourself plenty of time to evaluate the applicant. Be
fair and consider their body language. Did they look
straight into your eyes as you talked? If not, you may be
dealing with a dishonest person. Body language is important
and shouldn't be overlooked when evaluating how well the
interview went. A person can have all of the qualifications
needed, but if they don't mix well with you or your staff,
you're in for trouble.
A second interview is always advised if you are having
trouble making a decision. Give them a questionnaire during
this round. Maybe have them perform a simple task that will
help you determine their skill level. Maybe you will want
to ask Joe to draft a letter for you on a typewriter instead
of a computer. Analyze his reaction and be prepared to tell
him why you are making the request.
Finding qualified personnel is a lot easier when you know
precisely what kind of person meets your requirements.
Retain the resumes submitted to you during the process for
future use and be very honest but compassionate during the
interviews. At the end of the day, you will find that new
hire that will be appreciative of the job and more willing
to satisfy your needs. |
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About the author:
Ken Bidgood is the proprietor of
Advertising XP,
the best place on the internet when you're after
fresh up to date advice and comment to do with Business.
For more free articles on Business:
visit: http://www.advertisingxp.com/articles |
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