Q. How do these
values influence how
you hire?
Bring in people who have a
reputation. Take people
through multiple interviews
and have multiple people talk
to them, and you do the best
you can to collect their experiences and behaviors. You can’t
see character. You use your
best judgment and ask questions that will help you gauge
where their values lie.
Some of it has to do with
how people look at you. You
may not be able to do it as
well on the phone [rather]
than if you were sitting eyeball
to eyeball across the table
from somebody. See how
squarely they look you in the
eye, how quickly they answer
a question and if they are
searching for words that make
you think they’re making it up.
I like to ask people to tell me
about their worst and best
experiences in business. It
helps give me a sense of what
they don’t like and the things
they are very pleased about —
do they have to do with
money, their sense of pride,
things that enhance their reputation? What are the things
that disappointed them?
Someone didn’t tell them the
truth? Someone didn’t back up
what they needed to take care
of a customer? Those questions help you get a picture.
Talk to people about their
hobbies and what they like to
do. People who are involved in
other things besides themselves is an indicator. People
don’t have time to be working
in nonprofits; you understand
that, but do they coach teams,
do they participate in their
church — things that show
they’re outward-looking and
not inward-looking.
Q. How do employees’
opinions impact the hiring?
We’ll have them talk to
some of our people because
we want them to get to know
us and what’s expected and
how our people feel about
our organization as much as
we want to know about
them. We want them to come
to work not because it was
the job that they could get
but because of the opportunities they looked at, this
was the best fit for them.
Our people’s interviews are
important. If our people tell
us that there’s something
about a prospective employee that they don’t know
about, we’ll look long and
hard at their comment, and if
there’s not a way to put it to
bed, we won’t hire them.
These guys are out in the
field every day, and as much
as we like to think we’re
enlightened managers, they
know more about what’s
going on out there than we
do. Their input is valid.
Don’t ask anybody for their
opinion if you’re not going to
pay attention to it.
HOW TO REACH: The InSource Group, (972) 881-1313 or www.insourcegroup.com
