Hire the Right Employee EveryTime

Hire the Right Employee Every Time

Develop a Better Application Screening Process

By Amy P. Castro

During the hiring process, many managers encounter something you might call the “Reverse Frog Prince Phenomenon. ” In the story of the Frog Prince, a prince is turned into a frog and can only return to being a prince if he finds his perfect match. Hiring managers, however, often interview someone who seems like a prince or princess,theperfectmatch,onlytohaveafrogshowupon the first day of the job.

When it happens, we usually blame the applicants for hiding their true selves in the interview. But when you think about it, of course they did! People who want a job try to project the best possible image of themselves.Sometimestheydolieto create this positive image, but they usually believe what they ’re projecting – that they ’re efficient, effective, and skilled. Who is going to go into a job interview and admit they can’t meet deadlines, are the slowest person in their office, and have outdated skills? It’suptoyoutocreateprocessesthatensureyougetagood lookattherealpersonyou ’reinterviewing.Whenitcomes to screening applicants, there tend to be seven key mistakes that keep us from finding the right employee for the job.

3.SPENDINGTOOLONGONTHEFIRSTREVIEW

Save the word-for-word reading for the second and third rounds of reviews. On the first round, look for things that screenapplicantsout.Ifyourequireaminimumnumberof yearsofexperience,anadvanceddegree,oraspecificskill set,lookforthosefirst.Ifanapplicationorresumedoesn’t meet those requirements, don’t consider it. Be sure you ’re screening for your “must haves, ” however, and not just desired traits.

Who is going to go into a job Sometimes you ’ll candidate might find that not be w the hat best you interview and admit they can’t meet thought you were looking for.

deadlines, are the slowest person 4. SCREENING BASED ON JOB

in their office, and have outdated D If ESCR you IPTIONS need to fill a senior skills? accountantposition,thehundredsof applications you receive will quickly sound the same. Dozens of applicants will have your required 5 years of complex financial and accounting experience, as well as bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business, or public administration, or a closely related field. Look for accomplishments, not job descriptions. What makes one person stand out? Do you want to hire the applicant who was responsible for software implementation,ortheonewho“developedproceduresfor

1. UNDERVALUING THE COVER LETTER

If your hiring system allows applicants to submit a cover letter, give first consideration to those who submit one, especially if you ask for one. Those who don’t are basically telling you that they can’t or don't care to follow instructions. A lack of a cover letter may also indicate a lack of real interest in the position—the person might be randomly sending out resumes for any job that’s open.

Acoverlettercanalsoindicatethequalityofanapplicant’s communicationskills.Poorgrammar,typos,andaheading of“DearSirorMadam, ”tellmethatapersonatminimum lacks attention to detail, has poor communication skills, and possibly doesn’t care to take the time to find out to whom the letter should be addressed.

2. ALLOWING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRECONCEPTIONS

A person’s name and address can cause you to create a mental picture of the person. As much as you aim for an unbiased screening process, this information allows unconscious biases to affect the hiring process. A good practice is to erase or mark out the applicant’s name and address, and let his or her accomplishments speak for themselves.

new accounting conversion software that was used by the entire city to streamline general ledger reconciliations and saved 15 hours a week in staff hours”?

Do you want to hire the accountant who worked with various departments, or the one who “ worked with the purchasing department as the point of contact for accounting and automated four ‘shadow system’ reports that previously required 20 staff hours weekly?”

5. IGNORING QUANTIFIABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Notice that the accomplishment statements above both include numbers. The applicant who shares the scope of their accomplishments givesyouabetterpictureofwhoheorsheis.Forexample, an applicant might say he or she managed the accounting department, but is there a difference between someone who managed one direct report and the person who managed a team of 25 employees? That depends on whether experience leading a larger team is critical to the position for which you ’re hiring. Years ago, it was common practice to create a single resume and print 100 copies to send to potential employers. In 2017, there’s no excuse for an applicant to sendoutagenericcoverletterorresume.Whenreviewing resumes, you want to see content tailored to your organization.

When it comes to screeing When experi I en lef ce t the wa A s ir Force, riddled my job with applicants, there tend to be seven acronyms and verbiage that didn’t key mistakes that keep us from trans had late to to ch civilian ange m employment. y language t I o finding the right employee for the verbiage used by potential employers. When you ’re reviewing job. resumes, look for applicants who took the time to learn about your organization and tailor their resumes. Start with the summary atop the resume. Does it reflect the position you ’re hiring for, or is it generic? Sample language to be wary of usually reads something like this: “Senior accountant looking for a position in a progressive organization where I can use my advanced degree to... ”

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7. FOCUSING ON THE WRONG RED FLAGS

Many articles on reviewing resumes discuss red flags – if you find them, don't consider the applicant. However, one organization or position’s red flag might not be a red flag, or even a yellow flag, for another.

For example, a common red flag mentioned by many articles is frequent job changes. However, upon reviewing a resume more closely, you might find justifiable reasons for job moves. Maybeeachnewjobwasastepupin career position, which means the resume you ’re looking at is from a go-getter, not a job-jumper. That said, if the person has a new job every 3 to 4 months, doesn’t have a better position or responsibility to showforit,andallthejobsareinthe samepartoftown,thatpersonmight a job jumper, and you shouldn't consider them.

OTHER RED FLAGS

If your hiring system allows applicants to submit a cover letter, give first consideration to those who submit one, especially if you ask for one.

Keep in mind that not everything typically identified as a red flag should automatically disqualify an otherwise promising candidate. Below are some issues you might want to think twice about. Typos. Many say that typos indicate a lack of attention to detail, and that’s usually true. However, you should think twice about tossing an otherwise great resume because of one small typo or a misplaced quotation mark.

Poor Grammar. Managers generally want to hire employees with good communication skills. However, if you ’rehiringforatechnicalposition or an accounting position that doesn’t require a lot of written communication, how much weight do you want to place on a person’s grammar?You ’d have to assess how poor the grammar was and then decideifthat’sadealbreaker.It’san individual decision.

Being Overqualified. Many people overlook a seemingly overqualified employee because they believe the person will want more salary than they can afford to pay, willgetboredquicklyandstartcomplaining,orthatthey ’ll quickly leave for a more prestigious position.

Although this may be the case in some instances, if you post the salary for the position and a person applies, they know going into the interview what you ’re willing to pay.

Inmostcases,theyhavenoexpectationsofmakingmore. Theargumentthatanover-qualifiedpersonwillgetbored may be valid. It’s also possible that the person might be taking the position as a temporary stop on a journey to a better position. But if the applicant sounds great otherwise,exploretheseissuesinaninterview.Youreally have no basis for believing this until you ask.

Major Employment Gaps. This is probably the most commonredflagpeoplescreenfor,butlookmoreclosely – an employment gap can tell you a lot about the type of person you ’re considering.

Forexample,apersonwhotooktimeofffromtheircareer to care for a dying parent is probably someone who is caring, compassionate, and dedicated. This is quite different from someone who took multiple breaks and plans to continue taking breaks to travel for personal reasons.(Wantingtoseetheworldisanadmirablequality, but this person probably isn’t the one for you if you need someone at work, on time, every day.)

CONCLUSIONS

Your goal in reviewing applications and resumes on your first review is to look for legitimate reasons to screen applicants out, not in. Eliminating those who aren’t a fit, don’t meet minimum qualifications, or don’t show real interest in the position will make the job of selecting the best candidates to interview a lot easier.

For more information on how to hire the right candidate for any position, read part two of this series in the next issue of Government Finance Review.

AMY P. CASTRO is a communication expert, a National Speakers Association Certified Speaking Professional, and author of The Performance Communication Blog (amy-castro.com/blog/) and the book, Practical Communication – 25 Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Getting Along and Getting Things Done (ICTS Press, 2016). She works with federal, state, and local government organizations to increase productivity, decrease conflict, and improve customer service. Castro ’ s “Hire the Right Fit Employee Every Time ” program was presented at GFOA’ s 2017 annual conference and at human resources conferences around the country. You can find information about the workshops and programs she offers at amy-castro.com/programs/.

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