Develop employees
It started when John Gallagher brought in a couple of men who otherwise would have worked construction. In the 40 years since, the company has honed its internship program to recruit employees who prove their fit through trial. Now, several former Gallagher interns hold management positions in the company — including Pat Gallagher.
One way to find employees who fit is to grow your own.
“We’re not just selling them on joining Gallagher,” he says. “We’re assessing whether or not they have the skills and qualities that would make them successful in our company.”
To be able to make that kind of assessment in an interview, your line of questioning needs to be tough — not so aggressive you’re shouting students out of the room but straightforward enough you’re getting them to open up and explain themselves. In other words, just like you’d be interviewing any other candidate.
“We want people that can communicate well,” Gallagher says. “We grill them. These kids come in and they have four or five interviews that are not softballs. These are senior successful people interviewing hard to see whether or not the kids can stand up to the questioning.”
For example, Gallagher reaps levels of assessment from answers to even the most basic questions, such as why students selected the school they’re attending or the major they’re pursuing, what achievements they’re proud of and which teams they’ve participated in. Then there are the questions more directly related to the job, such as why are you applying, what do you know about the company and what are your goals?
Regardless of what they say, you’re learning about their communication skills and getting glimpses into their personality.
“All that adds together to this elusive thing, which is a personality style fit,” says Gallagher, who uses several managers to conduct interviews and round out the opinion of who fits and who doesn’t.
Unlike hiring someone into a specific position, internships are an opportunity to give your temporary employees a glimpse into all aspects of your business. Gallagher’s 150 annual interns, who come in before their junior year and — if they cut it — get invited back the next year, rotate around the company to lend help and learn through hands-on involvement.
Giving them responsibilities, even if it’s just participating in meetings, is how you turn an internship into a trial for future employment.
“After that first summer, they’re graded every single week: Did they show up on time? Were they groomed properly? Were they respectful? Had they done the studying that they were asked to do before the meeting? Were they able to participate in the meeting? Did they ask good questions after the meeting?” he says, leading to the ultimate question of whether the internship would translate into employment.
But he realized interns who were nervous about the transition were leaving.
“When we went out and interviewed some that had left us, we found that the reason that they thought they had to move on was that they just didn’t know what was next at Gallagher or who to talk to,” Gallagher says.
When Gallagher started working, he had both his father and his uncle, Robert E. Gallagher, to help him find his footing. Remembering their advice and assistance helped him develop the EDGE program, which provides mentors and training courses to assimilate new employees.
“Once we’ve hired them, then we’ve got a whole program that essentially says, ‘Now how do we help you get into this career and be successful like those that you look up to?’” he says.
Ask for sponsor volunteers in the office or department for which the intern will be working, explaining they’ll be expected to help the new employee develop goals and self-evaluate their performance, providing encouragement and support along the way.
“I was lucky enough that I had mentors — we call them sponsors now — that I just enjoyed being around and sucking the knowledge out of their brain, asking them to help me,” Gallagher says. “And that’s what you do for these young people.”