Rodrigo’s topic for last month was “Failed again with hiring Operations Manager”; priority “A”.  His take-away was to complete the position expectations template for the position.  The plan for this month is to have a follow-on discussion about optimizing the screening / selection process.

“OK, Rodrigo, did you complete the template, and how did it go?

“Yes, I did” he replied.  “It was a learning experience.  I started out with way too many responsibilities; so I had to think higher level and consolidate activities into broader responsibilities.  I got the initial list of about fifteen down to six.  Trying to come up with specific metrics for each responsibility was a challenge.  I had to get some help from some of the direct reports to the Operation Manager.”

“Great,” said wise Lisa; “show us what you came up with.” (You met “wise Lisa” in part 1 😉)

Members reviewed the template Rodrigo had come up with.  (Click here to get a copy of Rodrigo’s template for his Operations Manager).  Of course, there were the obligatory suggestions for improvement, but we nipped that in the bud.  Rodrigo was happy with what he’d come up with; let’s move on.  Now the question is: how to determine the best candidate capable of meeting the expectations.

Jim chimed back in, “Remember how I said I read a report that using the typical hiring process results in only a 14% success rate! Well, I went back and found that report.  It was from a study published by Michigan State University.”  Troy groaned, “Michigan State … the Spartans?  What good can come … ?“ Everyone snickered; we all knew Troy graduated from Ohio State!

Undaunted, Jim moved on.  “The study’s purpose was to investigate the effectiveness of using various types of assessments in the hiring process.  I had no idea there were so many different types; but this is what the report showed:”

Everyone took a moment to study the table and thought about their own hiring process.  As expected, there were skeptics.  Several had used one assessment or another in their process, and most found them helpful.  Having previously collaborated with different assessment suppliers, Don offered: “I think pre-hire assessments are a useful tool.  I’ve had clients who thought they were a fool-proof screening tool that says ‘Hire / Don’t hire’; they’re not that.  I heard one consultant say, ‘assessments give you 25% of the answer.’  That’s a realistic perspective.”  Having evaluated several different assessments, Don advised two things: (1) get a sample report from the assessment you are considering. See if you can understand the information and determine if it would be useful. Possibly complete the assessment yourself … see what insights, if any, you get on yourself; and (2) Don’t hesitate to use a consultant to help you interpret the report.  It will be money well spent.” (Of course, what consultant wouldn’t say that?! 😁)

“TMI!” cried Rodrigo.   “I hear you,” said Don.  “Look, I’ll send you a sample report from one assessment I’ve used.  If you find it useful, I can give you a referral.”  (Click here to get a copy of the sample report.) 

“Going back to that table,” Lisa commented, “I think the 14% success based on just an interview is awful low.  I think there are two specific ways to increase that: (1) use a behavioral interview approach; and (2) use an interview team.”

“What’s a behavioral interview?” asked Rodrigo.  “It’s an approach that focuses mostly on what the candidate has actually done, and not on hypothetical situations.  Don’t ask them how they would handle …? Ask them how they did handle …?  Really drill down and understand the specific role they played and their understanding of the details.  It’s interesting how you can not only uncover candidates who are blowing smoke, but you can also get insights into what they take credit for, and what, if any, credit they give to others.”   Jim chimed in, “Our company brought in an HR consultant who offered a seminar on behavioral interviewing – I learned a lot and got a lot better at it.”

Troy joined in. “We always use the team interview approach at our company,” He shared, “Often I’m amazed at what insights others have.  There’ve been times when others picked up a real attitude problem that I totally missed.  My only advice would be to make sure that the team is consistent and each interviewer asks the same questions of each candidate. You learn a lot when you compare different answers to the same question.  It doesn’t work if an interviewer does not interview every candidate; make sure that happens.”

“OK, Rodrigo, got enough?”  asked Don.

“Yes, I know what I’m going to do,” he replied.

Rodrigo’s Take Away action item was to:

• Put together an interview team and have them all learn a little more about behavioral interviews; and
• Check out the sample assessment report Don offered. If it looks like it’d be helpful, then request a referral from Don.

 ——–

 If you’ve ever faced a situation like this, found yourself feeling a bit lonely at the top and/or wanting to get feedback / confirmation from trusted colleagues, yet had no inner circle of trusted confidantes, no wise Lisa who’s “been there, done that” to turn to, this is your chance to give Inner Circle CEO Peer Groups a try.

How much would you estimate is the cost of a bad hire?

• < $10,000
• $10,000 – $20,000
• $20,000 – $30,000
• $30,000 – $40,000
• > $40,000