NewsClips July 2016 by Ontario Community Newspapers Association

newsclips JULY 2016

Fire Forces West Nipissing Tribune Staff Out Of Office One of the biggest fires to hit downtown Sturgeon Falls in recent history has left over 20 residents homeless, five local businesses with nothing but rubble to return to and a community newspaper without an office. The fire originated on Thursday July 14, right next door to the Sturgeon Falls West Nipissing Tribune’s office. Unfortunately, the smoke damage was too severe and forced newspaper employees to find an alternative work space. However, that didn’t prevent the newspaper from doing what it does best - delivering quality news to its community. Staff have set up camp in Publisher Suzanne Gammon’s kitchen, where they are currently working hard on the fourth paper since the fire. Photo by Erick Dubois

Despite some chaos immediately after the tragedy, the team managed to produce and distribute the paper just one day late. It has been quite the learning experience for new reporter, Stephanie Liard who joined the Sturgeon Falls West Nipissing just three days before the fire. She has quickly learned the ropes of a fast paced newspaper business during a crisis. Staff are prohibited from returning to the office for another two weeks or so while renovations are done to recover from the smoke damage. In addition, many residents are without homes. It’s been a difficult few weeks for the Sturgeon Falls community, but over $12,000 was raised at the Caisse Populaire Sturgeon Falls for the displaced. Additionally there are several Go Fund Me sites that have been set up for local businesses. Although quite devastating, this story is proof that newspaper personnel are dedicated to the role they serve within their community and will do all that they can to ensure news is reported.

WHAT’S INSIDE: July 2016

HISTORIC NEWSPAPER SOLD TO NEW OWNER The Thamesville Herald has been purchased by Petrolia Lambton Independent Publisher.

See Page 3

PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

THE POWER OF IMPLICATION

Editor & Publisher is seeking nominations for their annual Publisher of the Year award.

Why it’s important for a sales conversation to include implication questions.

See Page 5

See Page 8

MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION www.ocna.org

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Reminder: OCNA and Ad*Reach Have Moved

NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 05, ISSUE 03 37 Front Street E, Ste 200 Toronto, ON M5E 1B3 P. 416-923-7724 w. www.ocna.org

The OCNA and Ad*Reach have relocated offices from: 890 Yonge Street, Ste 200 Toronto, ON M4W 3P4

OCNA BOARD

TO: 37 Front Street E, Ste 200 Toronto, ON M5E 1B3 Our phone number has also changed to 416-923-7724. Extension numbers remain the same. Please update your records accordingly.

PRESIDENT

Dave Adsett

FIRST VP

Ray Stanton

SECOND VP

Anne Marie Creskey

SECRETARY/ TREASURER

John Willems

PAST PRESIDENT

Gordon Cameron

DIRECTORS

Abbas Homayed Alicia McCutcheon Darren Murphy Rick Shaver John Willems

OCNA’s Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the following newspapers as probationary Active Members: Newspaper

Circulation

Wellington Times

4,500

The OCNA is also sad to see the following newspapers members go: NWT News/North - June 2016 Toronto Kanadan Sanomat - June 2016 Exeter Examiner - July 2016 OCNA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Caroline Medwell

04 .......................................MARK YOUR CALENDAR: QUEEN’S PARK DAY

MEMBER SERVICES

Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven

05 .......................PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD OPEN FOR ENTRIES

ACCOUNTING

Lucia Shepherd

AD*REACH

Ted Brewer Brad Hopkins Carolyn Press Erica Leyzac

IN THIS ISSUE... 06 ..........................................THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ADVISORY BOARD 07 ....................................UPCOMING ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS 08 ....................................................................THE POWER OF IMPLICATION 10 ................................................................................THE SHADOW KNOWS 11 ...........................................................................COMMON SENSE PAYS OFF 12 ..................................................GETTING THE RIGHT ‘FIT’ WHEN HIRING

July 2016

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

Historic Ontario Newspaper, The Thamesville Herald, Is Sold To New Owner The publisher of the Independent of Petrolia and Central Lambton has purchased a historic Chatham-Kent newspaper. The Thamesville Herald was founded in 1886 and most recently was owned and operated by Allison Humphrey. Heather Wright purchased the community newspaper with a circulation of roughly 900 in late June. The sale was finalized on July 28. Wright plans to expand the coverage area to include the communities of Dresden and Bothwell, which have been without their own community weekly for several years. Wright is familiar with the area. She covered Chatham-Kent for a decade and lived in Dresden for much of that time. “I am very excited to be able to tell the stories of these communities. While the people of Thamesville have seen their stories in their own community newspaper, it has been some time since Dresden and Bothwell have, and many people have already told me how excited they are to have their own community newspaper again,” says Wright. “It’s also a pleasure for me to continue the great tradition of this 130 year old newspaper.” The first edition of the renewed Herald will hit the streets of Thamesville, Bothwell and Dresden on August 17.

NEW STAFF MEMBER JOINS NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT TEAM The New Hamburg Independent has hired a new reporter. Dylan DaCosta began working for the newspaper at the end of April and has quickly developed relationships within the community and is telling important stories.

DAVID DILLS CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY An honourary life member of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association, David Dills (pictured below on the right) was saluted recently on the occasion of his 90th birthday. David served for 24 years as publisher of the Acton Free Press and was named the town’s Citizen of the Year in 1972, while brother Jim was publisher of the Canadian Champion in Milton and later the Georgetown Independent. Jim also is a former executive director of CCNA and has been inducted into the Town of Milton Walk of Fame. Together the brothers worked in the newspaper business for more than 70 years. Their father, the late Arlof Dills, as well as spouses Kay (David) and Shirley were also named life members of CCNA. Kay passed away in 2015. In 1987 the family established the Dills Family Fund, which helps small community newspapers grow, provides industry educational programs and supports local, community and historical organizations.

Situated in the picturesque, vibrant lakeside community of The City of Temiskaming Shores, Northern Ontario’s premier printing company is

HIRING AN EXPERIENCED

PRESSPERSON The successful candidate is familiar and comfortable with a Community Goss press. You work as a team player responsible for a minimum of eight weekly community newspapers and specialty publications per week in a very busy shop. In addition to the rewards which come with living in a sought-out community, you will enjoy an excellent benefit and pension package.

SPEAKER

OCNA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Please forward your resume to: Lois Perry Temiskaming Printing 18 Wellington St. New Liskeard, Ontario POJ 1P0 or email loisperry@northernontario.ca

Printing, Publishing and Promotions

July 2016

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Mark Your Calendar: Queen’s Park Day Is Back! WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016 The Ontario Community Newspapers Association would like to invite its members to participate in Queen’s Park Day on Wednesday, September 21. Community newspaper publishers and editors can attend afternoon meetings with their MPPs and various ministers to discuss public policy issues that are important to the publishing industry.

SPORTS SYNDICATED COLUMNS AVAILABLE ONLINE The Terrace Bay/Schreiber News is pleased that columnist Rejean Giguere’s sports themed columns, posted to the OCNA’s Syndicated Columnist section online, have been well received by newspapers throughout Ontario. Rejean’s columns can be found online in the Members Section at: http://www.ocna.org/en/filebrowser/syndicated_columnists/ Free_wCredit_RejeanGiguere?sort=asc&order=Last+modified. Please note: you must be logged in as a member to retrieve these documents.

A special Publisher’s Reception will be held in the evening so members can mingle with MPPs and key staff. For more information please contact Karen Shardlow at k.shardlow@ocna.org or 416-923-7724 x 4432.

Make Money With Network Classifieds OCNA’s Network Classified Advertising is an easy way for you to earn additional revenue. Upsell your retail and classified advertisers and receive a 35% commission. LOGO ADS: OCNA recently introduced logo ads as an option. An All Ontario 25-word ad WITH LOGO and enhanced text is $975. You already know that advertisers in community newspapers get results. Help your advertisers extend their reach into a region of the province, across Ontario, or right across the country. They Win - You Win.

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The Possibilities are endless: > Online Revenue - any retailer with a web site. Let the Networks drive traffic to their site for increased sales > Real Estate - any agent with vacation properties, commercial properties and luxury homes. Buyers from outside your newspaper distribution area need to know > Events - Fairs, Markets, Shows, Theatre, Concerts or Sports. Spread the word to draw more people > Help wanted - Trades and other positions that individuals would relocate or commute to

July 2016

Contact OCNA Network Classified Coordinator Lucia Shepherd for full details at l.shepherd@ocna.org or 416-923-7724 ext 4423.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Editor & Publisher Is Accepting Publisher Of The Year Nominations Staff at community and daily newspapers are encouraged to nominate colleagues for the Editor and Publisher’s annual Publisher of the Year award. The international award is open to publishers world wide and seeks to honour an individual leader who has, “risen above the rest and accomplished what seems like the impossible, outmaneuvering the competition, outthinking the future and maintaining profitability.” Editor & Publisher is seeking your assistance to recognize a technical savvy leader with the ability to make good judgements, quick decisions and has a deep understanding of what needs to be done to stay successful. The 2016 nomination deadline is Friday, September 23, 2016. For more information, please visit http://www.editorandpublisher.com/poy/.

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July 2016

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BUSINESS

Why An Advisory Board Is Critical For The Long-Term Success Of Your Family Business By Stefan Voswinkel The Family Business Catalyst

for me!”

Most owners avoid an Advisory Board:

• Only a few selected C-suite leaders from within your company should be on the board

• Airing your dirty laundry in front of outsiders? • Why fix what is already working? • “I don’t need anyone to set goals

• Staggered terms to ensure renewal (three years max) • Compensation: Around $1,500 per member per meeting, plus expenses How to run your Advisory Board: • Develop a clear mandate (also to attract the right candidates)

Compared with a formal Board of Directors, an Advisory Board carries no legal obligations. It is focused on the business, not governance.

• Communicate clear expectations to members • Manage it well: good prep work, clear agenda and disciplined follow ups with accountability

What an Advisory Board can do for you: • Drive innovation and growth

• Meet at least quarterly

• Make difficult and better decisions

• Do an annual board retreat to discuss overall strategy (one or two days)

• Hold you accountable

Pitfalls and how to avoid them:

• Professionalize your business

• Something is wrong if board meetings have no heat or vigorous discussion, the board doesn’t challenge you or it’s not stimulating and interesting

• Provide better risk management • Provide more expertise to manage change and complexity • Take the business to the next level

• Withholding information from the board will limit what they can do for you

• Cross-fertilize networks

• The board can help you best if you share your strengths and weaknesses

• Mentor you and your successors • Support managed transitions

• Ban operational issues, focus on the strategic ones

• Increase credibility

• Identify and monitor indicators to measure the impact of your Advisory Board

• Competitive advantage It is evident that an Advisory Board will result in increased profits and value of the business. The board is part of your trusted support network. You can discuss sensitive issues with the members. They will get you to pause and reflect, test your assumptions and be candid with you.

If you want to take your business to the next level, and ensure its viability beyond you, an Advisory Board is critical. Let me know if I can help you with setting up and running an Advisory Board.

How to pick your Members:

If you need a trusted sounding board with a fresh perspective, let me know. I help business families accelerate their results in the business and in the family.

• The majority of members need to be from outside – otherwise save yourself the effort • If there is no fit in terms of passion, values and chemistry, drop them as candidates • A total of four to secen members works

• These are your advisors and peers at the same time • Diversity (look for lateral thinkers with different backgrounds) • Your lawyer and accountant don’t belong on the Advisory Board – you already have access to their expertise July 2016

stefan@voswinkel.ca Direct: 867-456-7506 6

www.ocna.org

TRAINING

ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS: OCNA has teamed with the Online Media Campus to help the association fulfill its mission of providing affordable and relevant training to members. ▄▄

August 18 - Google Analytics: Segmenting

Presented in partnership with GateHouse Media How much of your traffic is coming from mobile or tablets? What percentage of your traffic is organic, or from social media? And how much of that traffic is hitting your section fronts, or article pages? In this session, GateHouse Media data analyst Sherri Horton will help you build segments that can easily answer these questions and many others. Horton will explain how to build segments that let you isolate and analyze subsets of your analytics data. You can then apply these segments to your reports and dashboards so you can see and compare specific data sets. She’ll also send updated versions of popular custom report templates and tutorial videos that will help you quickly find accurate information. ▄▄

CLASSIFIED AD

August 26 - Maximizing Digital Revenue

Most media organizations have unsold digital advertising inventory. But what should you do with those available ad spots? You can try to sell them locally, but if the market is exhausted, you need to find a buyer outside of your own geography. Frequently you turn to something called programmatic advertising. However, not all programmatic advertising is the same. Many organizations are leaving hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on the table every month due to some very simple errors in how they make their inventory available on the national market or how their site is organized and designed.

For more information and to register, visit: www.onlinemediacampus.com.

Want to contribute to NewsClips? If you have news you would like to share about your paper - it could be a new project, recognition from the community, awards you’ve won or an upcoming anniversary, please send them to newsclips@ocna.org. Photos are also welcome!

July 2016

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ADVERTISING

The Power Of Implication By John Foust Raleigh, NC

Result: The client realizes that business could continue to slide if there’s not a change in the advertising. That could have a negative impact on his plans to expand the business. He agrees to consider some new marketing ideas.

Randall oversees the advertising department of a mid-size newspaper. “Implication is one of the most important concepts in selling,” he told me. “It’s covered in a lot of sales seminars and books, but I’m surprised that so many sales people don’t realize how it can drive marketing decisions.” What is implication? It’s a simple concept that explores how A impacts B and how B impacts C. There is a strong emphasis on the future. Let’s say one of your tires has low air pressure. Whether you choose to ignore it or do something about it, there are long-term implications. If you ignore it, you could end up with an even bigger problem, a flat tire. If you decide to take action, the implication is that your car will be safer and you’ll get improved gas mileage. College football coaching legend Lou Holtz once said, “Things never stay the same. They either get better or they get worse.” In other words, one thing leads to another. “A lot of ad departments have tunnel vision,” Randall said. “They tell their prospects, ‘Here’s what my paper can do for your business right now.’ That approach might produce a sale, but it doesn’t drill down to what the prospect really wants – long-range stability and success. I encourage our sales team to take prospects down a different road. It’s all a matter of asking the right questions.”

Here’s another example: Advertiser: My new ad campaign is working pretty well. Sales person: That’s great news. It shows that you’re targeting the right audience with the right message. Advertiser: Right. Sales person: Let’s think for a moment about what could happen if your business increased even more. What kinds of things could you do? (Implication question.) Advertiser: In the long run, I could add to the staff and maybe even upgrade the showroom. Sales person: Why don’t we take advantage of the positive momentum you’ve built? Right now, you’re running a quarter page ad every week. Let’s move that up to a half page, which will give you even more visibility. Result: The advertiser sees the benefits and agrees to increase her advertising investment.

Here’s how implication questions can redirect a prospect’s thinking: Advertiser: I don’t need to change my advertising.

“Ideally,” Randall said, “a sales conversation will include a progression of implication questions. Each one can lead you closer to a sale.”

Sales person: How long has your current campaign been running? Advertiser: About two years. Sales person: Are the ads working as well as they did in the beginning?

Advertiser: Actually they’re not. We’re getting fewer responses than we did back then.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: john@johnfoust.com

Sales person: What do you think will happen to your sales numbers if you keep running the same ads? (Implication question)

Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers Service includes: Libel, Invasion of Privacy, Plagiarism, Piracy, Infringement of Copyright, Pre-Publication Hotline Contact us for a quote: 416-923-7724

July 2016

We want to hear from you! Please share your news and/or opinions with us: newsclips@ocna.org

www.ocna.org

PRESS IDENTIFICATION CARDS OCNA can provide you with laminated, business card-sized Press Cards. The cost is $10 each for the first three, and $5 for each one thereafter. PRESS CARD

DAVE ADSETT Publisher

2016

This certifies the individual identified has been awarded Press Credentials by the Publisher of this newspaper, and is to be used for identification purposes.

Fergus Wellington Advertiser 519-843-5410 905 Gartshore St. Box 252 Fergus, ON N1M 2W8

This newspaper on the reverse side is, as of date of issue, a member in good standing of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) www.ocna.org

Caroline Medwell, Exec. Director

July 20, 2016 Date

To place an order, please contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org or call 416-923-7724 ext 4439 for the Publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Authorization Form and instructions.

July 2016

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DESIGN

The Shadow Knows By Ed Henninger Henninger Consulting

During the past few years—and only for certain clients—I’ve been suggesting they get away from the traditional half-point frame for photos. The option I recommend is a photo frame with a soft drop shadow. Why?

what to do. And another suggestion: Don’t use the InDesign default specifications for the shadow. Those specs create a shadow that’s too dark, too big. Here are the specs for the shadow on the photo picture below on the right:

A few reasons: IT’S DIFFERENT: Not many other newspapers use this approach, so the new look makes you stand out—especially if you’re in a community where you’re competing against another paper. It’s certainly an idea to consider if you want to redesign.

Blending mode: Multiply Opacity: 50% Distance: Ignore. Offsets will create distance. X Offset: 0p3 Y Offset: 0p3 Angle: 135º Size: 0p5 Disregard other options.

IT’S APPEALING: Readers may not be able to articulate the difference, but the soft shadow tends to make your photos just a bit more friendly, more comfortable to look at. IT’S MORE ‘FEATURE-ISH’: Some editors may think the soft shadow takes away from the impact of a hard news photo, such as a fire or an auto accident. That’s OK—you can drop the soft shadow on such photos if you wish. But for most photos in community newspapers, a soft shadow frame will do just fine.

One last detail: If you’re placing a photo with a soft shadow at the right edge of the page, be sure to nudge it left about a pica. Otherwise, the shadow may fall out of the print area, leaving you with no shadow at all. The soft shadow photo frame can give your newspaper a more comfortable, more friendly design. It’s worth a look.

IT’S THREE-DIMENSIONAL: The soft shadow helps push the photo off the surface of the page, giving the photo a bit more impact. The halfpoint frame doesn’t do that.

ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services at: www.henningerconsulting.com.

Here’s a suggestion: Try the drop shadow look on an upcoming photo page or in a special section. See how it looks to you. Does it give you a feel you’d like to see throughout your entire publication? If so, you know

Left: a photo with a traditional half-point frame. Right: a photo with a soft drop shadow.

July 2016

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TECHNOLOGY

Common Sense Pays Off

Industry takes note of ‘self made’ publisher who succeeds by following his instincts, instead of jumping on latest trends By Kevin Slimp Doggone that Joey Young. And doggone that Al Cross, too. While we’re at it, doggone the managing editor of that daily in Tennessee and the journalist from the metro paper

So when Joey Young asked my advice in Des Moines, I didn’t take him lightly. Little did I know he would, in just a few years, run multiple successful newspapers, both free and paid. Now I notice groups ask Joey to sit on their panels and speak with his fellow publishers about how he created successful, loved and profitable products. I won’t spend any more time writing about Joey’s blog, other than to let you know it can be found at newspaperdisruptor.com. Some won’t like it, so tread carefully. Joey doesn’t have anything to sell you. He will just share what is working so well for him in Kansas. Now on to Al Cross. After posting a link to Joey’s blog on my blog, I heard from Al Cross, who became familiar with Joey’s rise in the community newspaper world a while back. Most of you know Al, but for those who don’t, he is the director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. I suppose it’s only natural, since Al and I both grew up in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee, we went around several twists and turns during our conversation, agreeing that Joey and his newspapers have a great future. Our thoughts then turned to our newspapers closer to home. With 1:00 a.m. approaching, I summed up my thoughts: “Al, I just care so much about these newspapers.” I wasn’t surprised by Al’s response, “I care about these newspapers, too.”

who kept me up last night. I should have known better. After several long days, punctuated by late-night car shopping for my son who had a ‘fender bender’ two weeks ago, the necessity of a good night’s sleep could not be overstated. It’s my own fault. After more than 20 years of column-writing, visiting newspapers and sticking my nose in just about every crevice of the journalism world, I should know better than to get online at night when I need sleep. It started innocently enough, when I shared a blog post by Joey Young, a young (30ish) publisher in Kansas. The post titled “Editor & Publisher Is Starting To Get It: Invest In Your Print Product,” sounded so much like a column I wrote three weeks ago I couldn’t help but take a peek. Joey is starting to get noticed, and for good reason. I remember when he came to me three or four years ago at a newspaper convention in Des Moines and asked if we could spend some time discussing his plan to get into newspaper publishing. He was convinced others weren’t making smart moves and newspapers attract a significant number of readers and make a profit, if given the chance. He asked for my advice and he took copious notes. It’s not unusual for publishers to ask my advice. Over the past year, conventions have begun scheduling ‘20 Minutes with Kevin’ sessions, where I visit one-on-one with publishers who schedule a block of time. In most cases, time runs out before I get to all the publishers. At a press association convention in South Dakota a couple of months ago, a very successful young publisher who wasn’t able to get a spot on the one-on-one schedule pulled me to the side and asked a very direct question about an important part of his publishing operation. “I want your advice on something, and I want to know what you really think.” I could tell he had given serious thought about the question before posing it to me. He asked how much emphasis should be given to the digital side of his newspaper. I could tell he really wanted to know my thoughts. I paused, making sure I was giving him solid advice, then told him what I would do. “Then that’s what I’ll do!” he responded. I take it very seriously when a young or veteran publisher asks my advice. It’s easiest to give the popular answer. But the popular response isn’t always the best response.

Turning Things Around in Canada During a recent trip with my best friend to Western Canada, I was pleasantly surprised to hear from so many newspaper friends in the area. A few drove hours to take us to dinner. Some brought gifts of local books, maps, homemade jams and gins. My old friend, Roger Holmes, is a living newspaper legend in Canada and a graduate of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. I could write a dozen columns about his groundbreaking work, including developing the first affordable direct-to-plate system for community newspapers way back before anyone was giving much thought to direct-to-plate. Not realizing we would be driving through his home of Wainwright, Alberta, we made a stop to visit his newspaper. Peter, his son and general manager of Star News Publishing, was the first to see us coming as he peered through the large windows. He rushed out to meet us, took us through the facility, then called several of the staff together. “Do you know who this is?” he asked them. “This is the guru of the newspaper industry. This is Kevin Slimp!” What a welcome. No wonder everyone says Canadians are nice. I learned I missed Roger because he was in Moose Jaw, looking over Continued on Page 13 >>>

July 2016

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Getting The Right ‘FIT’ When Hiring

A TwoGreySuits Article by Ron Guest, Senior Partner 1. Describe the ideal culture where you can be most productive. (the answer will allow you to assess if they would be a match for the company culture)

TwoGreySuits TIP: Understand from an interview what types of company cultures the person has worked in and what they value in a company culture going forward. The old adage ‘hired for skills and fired for fit’ is still alive and well in many companies today.

2. If I were to call your co-workers, what would they tell me about you? (the answer here will help to understand how they work with others)

It is easier to assess technical job skills than if a person will fit in the company culture. Many interviewers don’t pay any attention at all to the ‘fit’ part of the hiring equation.

3. What do you think our customers want the most from our company? (the answer here will help you to see if they understand the business or have taken the time to do their own research)

Let me explain – it is very important to get to know a candidate from a personality perspective, in addition to assessing their skills set for the job. So, how do we measure a personality? First you must know what values the company has and how work is achieved in the company.

4. Rank the following in order of importance to you when seeking a job: company culture, money, advancement opportunities, recognition, and challenge. (this will tell you a bit about their own personal values) ie) if money is at the top of the list, are there incentive programs in place, does the company have a pay structure or philosophy, is the business such that a person can earn bonuses or commission linked to effort?

As an example, some company cultures support people asking many questions, where others see this as wasteful time and would question the asking person from a competence viewpoint. In other words, “don’t bring your ideas from your previous employer to the table, do it our way and our way only”.

5. What top three things that motivate you? (the answers here will help determine the candidate’s working style, for example again if money is mentioned, is the environment such that people are paid high compared to competitors? Is it a culture where love of the job should be more important than the money?)

Other companies value people asking questions even more than people giving answers. So, if your candidate is a naturally inquisitive person as a means of learning, they may not fit well into a culture where processes are rigid and strictly adhered to. We should ask candidates to explain the culture of previous employers, what they liked/didn’t like. This can be very revealing. My suggestion would be to talk very openly about the company culture. When you hire someone who does not fit well with the culture, it is obvious to everyone and can cause considerable harm to the department or the company.

Probably the very best way to assess fit is to have a potential employee spend a full day with a person who is doing the job, before any offer is made. (and you would prepare that person with a list of things to ask and also look for) A person can be quite convincing in an interview setting, but on the job for eight hours is altogether different and you should be able to see in some detail who the real person is.

‘Fit’ is all about how a person behaves, converses and works in the company, fit is also about their level of commitment and engagement. I have heard numerous times the reason for an employment termination is “the person doesn’t fit, they don’t think or behave like we do; their personal values are not aligned with those of the company.” Past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour - this is the premise of behaviour interviewing. Behavioural interviewing is all about knowing first what soft skill competencies you are looking for and then designing and asking interview questions of previous situations where the candidate exhibited this behaviour you are looking for. The recruitment section of the TwoGreySuits website explains all this in great detail.

TwoGreySuits is a leading edge provider of on-line human resource management information, processes, tools and forms servicing the North American market. They have linked the HR practices associated with the key drivers of Employee Engagement in the form of an on-line training application for managers utilizing the vast amount of well-organized information on the website. The HR Power Centre and HR Hot Line is simple and free for OCNA members. Visit https://ocna.twogreysuits.com/sign-up/ to sign up today.

Here are some other thought provoking ‘culture’ or ‘fit’ questions to consider asking in the interview. July 2016

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HUMAN RESOURCES

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Cont’d...

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the daily paper there, which he had just purchased. He didn’t stop with Moose Jaw, apparently. Peter explained they had purchased two dailies, one major weekly, six small community weeklies and a number of specialty products in Alberta and Saskatchewan from one of the large national corporations, allowing these papers to operated locally. He showed me their newest press and we looked over their print products. It’s no wonder I feel so much enthusiasm concerning our industry. About the time I start to get discouraged by something going on in the world of journalism, it’s time to hit the road and be reminded of the great things taking place in our business. Joey Young gives us all hope. As do Roger and Peter Holmes. So do the young publisher in South Dakota and the managing editor in Tennessee. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Al Cross and I aren’t the only ones who care.

KEVIN SLIMP serves as director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. He is a faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information. www.kevinslimp.com July 2016

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July 2016