Common Sense Management - Recruitment & Casting

Common Sense ManagementRecruiting and Casting, Nick Krym 05-25-07

Nick Krym 05-27-07 2

Agenda

• Learning Goals & Objectives• Basics of Resource Casting• Recruitment Basics

– Identifying the Need– High level Rack definition– Securing the Rack – Defining the Perfect Match– Sourcing– Conducting the Interview– Evaluation– Negotiations– Closure

• Tips & Techniques– Information Recovery– Brief Introduction to NVL– Staying Legal

• Exercises

“You're only as good as the people you hire.”

-- Ray Kroc


Learning Goals & Objectives• How to find and hire the RIGHT people

– Prepare, Execute, Improve– The Perfect Match – Hiring for Talent

• If you are in this class you might as well learn– Decide to listen, commit yourself to learning– Define your purpose / objectives for the class / takeaways – Don’t drift away – take notes / mentally record facts – Ask questions, participate, illustrate, expand… but stay on

course– Avoid selective hearing / preconceived notions

• Your personal objectives


Recruiting Process and its Components• Recruitment as your key

Responsibility

• Recruitment as a Process– Clear Goals– Solid Structure– Repeatable & Predictable– Quality Outcomes– Side Benefits

• Staying Legal

• Identifying the Need

• High level Rack definition

• Securing the Rack

• Defining the Perfect Match

• Sourcing

• Conducting the Interview

• Evaluation

• Negotiations

• Closure


Identifying the Need and Drafting the Position• Hiring is tough, why do we keep doing it?

– Growth– Structural Changes– Replenishment– Change of focus – Unjustified Executive Directions

• Organizational impact, what will happen when you bring the new person– Can you afford it? Cost of the recruitment itself– Can you survive it? Short term impact on people, tasks, processes. – What’s the ROI? Long term impact on people, tasks, processes.

• Definition of the position where you will bring the person to– Goals and Objectives (what this rack is created for, what are the long term and

short terms expected accomplishments)– Position challenges & rewards – Typical duties and responsibilities (details of typical work assignments)– Environment (team, location, creature comforts, business dynamics, change

rate) – Comp package and disciplinary constraints


Job Description• Introduction

• Company Profile

• Position Challenges & Rewards

• Typical Duties and Responsibilities

• Required Skills, Experience and Background

• Desired Skills, Experience and Background

• Desired Personal Qualities

• Comp Package and Constraints

• Application Process


Securing the Rack• Prepare the Business Case

– Business situation / reasons• Monetary Impact• Schedule Impact• Staff Impact

– Alternative Approaches• Contracting• Off-shore• Buy versus Build

– Understand your BATNA

• Resource profile– Skills & Background Profile– High-level Talent & Personality Profile– Salary analysis

• Negotiating with Management– Set the stage– Present the Case– Closure

• Today’s Situation– Summary of the current situation– Business reasons for staff changes– State your recommendation

• Available Options– Suggested Approach

• Advantages • Disadvantages• Cost

– Official BATNA• Advantages • Disadvantages• Cost

– Alternative Approach• Advantages • Disadvantages• Cost

• Recommendation– Restate your recommendation– Summarize the results if things go as

proposed– Ask for the approval


Getting Organized• Official Job Description• Internal Job Description

– Positive Filters– Negative Filters– Tradeoffs – Personality Profile– Specific Talents– Constraints– Comp Package

• Screening Materials – Questionnaire– Job Application– Background Check

• Recruitment Squad – Composition / Roles– Define Approach

• Sourcing• Interviewing• Evaluation

– Get the team engaged

• Interview Questions– Validate Skills – Discover Talents– Validate Experience– Asses Personality– Asses Abilities

• Tests– Validate Skills– Assess Abilities– Asses Personality


Basics of Casting• Skills Cast: Qualifications, skills, background, experience, credentials.

(proof/indication of an ability to perform required activities) • Personality Cast: Behavioral patterns, personality traits, style

(proof/indication of a desire to perform and ability fit in)• Talent Cast: Specific talents, strong suits, intelligence (proof/indication of

level of performance and modus operandi; proof/indication of whether the person can develop into a perfect match for position)

• Casting Lifecycle– Recruitment– Assignments– Motivation– Rewards – Development

• Casting in Recruitment– Basics: Requirements to Skill, Personality and Talent– Traffic Light: Must haves, specific requirements that can not be compromised– Sacrifices: Tradeoffs you are prepared to make to gain specific talents, skills,

abilities

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Matchmaking Balance Sheet• Skills Cast

– Professional casting is the easiest to achieve and its impact is easiest to assess – Direct, often strong immediate impact in technical / professional arena– Usually low and typically local impact on team dynamics– Gains of a good match are typically medium and predictable– Cost of mismatch depends on position but typically medium

• Personality Cast– Personality casting is easier than it’s perceived but it’s still relatively complex– Indirect but often very strong mid-term impact in technical / professional arena– Immediate to mid-term impact on team dynamics and overall productivity Gains of a good match are

typically medium and predictable– Cost of mismatch depends on position but typically medium

• Talent Cast– Talent casting is often rather complex and especially complex is small teams – Mid-term to long-term impact in technical / professional arena – Impact on team dynamics depends on talent area and could vary greatly– Gains of a good match are typically medium and predictable– Cost of mismatch depends on position but typically medium

• Profit & Loss (Match / Mismatch) – Skills: Medium / Medium– Personality: Medium / High– Talent – High / Low to Medium

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The Perfect Match Exercise• Discussion

• DIY– Create a position profile covering the Casting areas:

• Skills• Personality• Talent

– Indicate Must Haves– Create a list of potential tradeoffs you prepared to make

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Sourcing• Prospecting

– Internal References – Personal Networking– Job Boards– Poaching– Geographical and other specifics

• Qualification– Questionnaire – Phone / Face-to-Face Screening– Pre-closure

• Advanced Techniques– Recruiters & Headhunters– On-line Tests– Psychological Profiling

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Key Elements of the Interview• Gather Information

– Skills Cast – proof/indication of an ability to perform required activities – Personality Cast – proof/indication of a desire to perform and ability fit

in)– Talent Cast – proof/indication of level of performance and modus

operandi; proof/indication of whether the person can develop into a perfect match for position

• Provide Information– Provide sufficient information for a self-cast – Sell on the Company– Sell on the Position

• Promote Goodwill – Let the candidate feel like s/he was given a fair chance and was treated

with respect– Let the candidate gain a positive feeling about the organization– Treat every applicant as a potential customer. If an applicant (even one

you have no intention of hiring) is treated unprofessionally, we could lose that person as a future customer / referral / promoter.

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Common Mistakes• In Gathering Information.

– Exercise: What are common mistakes in gathering information?

• In Providing Information.– Exercise: What are common mistakes in providing information?

• In Promoting Good Will. Applicants are most frequently abused by:– Being rude or condescending during the interview– Allowing frequent interruptions during the interview (taking phone calls)– Letting the applicant hang and not giving him/her a definite answer– Not seeing them at the appointed time– Having them return at some unspecified time “when the manager has

more time to talk to you”– Telling them “don’t call, we’ll call you” and then not calling– Leading them to believe we may hire them when it’s clear that they’re

unsuitable because it’s easier than saying no.

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Conducting the Interview• Set the Stage

– Courtesy questions / break the ice– Introduce the process / agenda– Establish expectations– Sale on the company– Sale on the position

• Perform– Questions & Answers– Tests– Discussions

• Clean Up / Closure – Discussion / Q & A– Sale reinforcement– Next steps / expectations

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Interviewing Techniques: Questions• Close-ended Questions – ask them when only when establishing specific facts or as

opening / introduction to open ended question: – When did you…– Do you consider yourself …– Do you know…

• Open-ended Questions– Tell me about the time…– Describe your position in regards…– Please elaborate on…– In your own words how would you…– What did you do to address…

• Behavioral – questions that ask the candidate to draw upon past experience to demonstrate a point as a way to predict future performance.

– Example - Specifically, please tell me about a time when you had to resolve a customer problem under difficult circumstances.

• Informational – questions that gather detail or seek to verify information about a candidate's background.

– Example - Describe the main responsibilities you held in your last position.• Introspective – questions that ask a candidate to assess oneself or indicate

preferences about a job situation.– Example - In your professional background, what do you see as your strengths?

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Questions: What are you trying to discover?

• Ask questions with purpose– What do you think are the most important responsibilities of your job?

• How well person understands his/her job and its priorities– What do you think are the greatest causes of failure to deliver on time?

• Is this person realistic and recognizes the normal pitfalls of the job– What are the most important qualifications of this job?

• Does he/she understand the full responsibilities of the job? I understanding of priorities evident?

– Suppose a new supervisor insisted you do something a certain wayeven though you definitely know there is a better way.

• What is the persons attitude towards superiors and authority?– What do you think about people who change jobs frequently?

• Is this person a job-hopper? How committed is s/he to a long-term working relationship?

• Tell me please about yourself…

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Questions: Follow-up Techniques• In some cases candidate omits key information for number of “neutral” reasons

– S/he simply forgets to mention important and relevant information– Candidate doesn’t know that some information / skills / etc. are relevant – Lack of interviewing skills / bad interviewing habits

• Watch for Signs… The candidate will often give signals which indicate a desire not to go below the surface level of an answer

– Sudden nervousness, blushing, or reluctance to talk.– Sudden change of pace in the rate of talking or presentation style.– Efforts to change the subject.– Vague responses that seem to avoid the point of the question.– Unusual amount of rationalization.

• Follow up / Drill down / Probing Techniques– Ask "why" questions or "How, specifically?"– Ask for more information – "Please explain further," or "Tell me more about this," or "Give some examples

to explain what you mean."– Echoing – repeating key words or phrases candidate said in an inquisitive tone.– Wait and be silent.– Express personal observations – "I am puzzled..." or "You seem to be hesitant to describe...“– Information recovery – (lack of references, generalization, etc.) – “Who specifically?”, “What in particular”– Pulling – “Meaning?”, “So?”, “And?”, “Specifically?”

• Do not dwell on the problem / area as it’s discovered

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Questions: Exercise• First, Questions to Avoid

– Long-winded questions– Guessing-game questions– Vague global questions– Hypothetical questions– Long ramp-ups into questions

• Close-ended Questions • Open-ended Questions

– Behavioral – questions that ask the candidate to draw upon past experience to demonstrate a point as a way to predict future performance.

– Informational – questions that gather detail or seek to verify information about a candidate's background.

– Introspective – questions that ask a candidate to assess oneself or indicate preferences about a job situation.

• Strong knowledge of Java design patterns

• Working knowledge of SQL• Perceiver versus Judger• Self-motivated overachiever with

proven ability to work under pressure

• Customer focused business leader with substantial background in large program management

• Outstanding communication skills• Great troubleshooting skills• Ability to grasp and communicate

big picture to C-level executives• Self-starter with great attention to

details and passion for technology

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Non-verbal language• Non-verbal language refers to conveying messages without words • In a personal spoken message according to Albert Mehrabian (Psychology Today, 1968) the total

message is communicated via: – 7% is conveyed by the words – 38% by the vocal tones, and – 55% by facial and body expression

• What examples of body language do you know?– General, commonly accepted gestures? – Signs of openness?– Signs of defensiveness?– Signs of deception?– Signs of a need for reassurance?

• Often message given verbally contradicts to non-verbal message, in many case the NVL message is the correct one

• Ability to communicate via NVL is one of many great reasons to avoid virtual / over the phone interviewing.

• Important: – North American gestures do not necessarily represent gestures correctly in other ethnic cultures.– Changes in NVL are significantly more important than “stance” or specific elements of NVL displayed for a

period of time. Pay specific attention to sudden changes.– Be aware of potential use of NVL for deception or influence purposes

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Brief NVL dictionary: positive signs • Acceptance

– Smile that touches the eyes– Open arms and hands – Touching gestures – Moving closer, one to another – Sitting on one leg (for female)– Hand to chest (male)

• Confidence– Steepling (fingers touching like a church

steeple) – Hands behind back, authority position – Hands in coat pockets with thumbs out – Hands on lapels of coat

• Need for Reassurance– Touching – Pinching flesh – Chewing pen or pencil – Rubbing over thumb – Touching back of chair on entering room – Biting finger nails – Hands in pockets

• Cooperation, readiness, openness– Open hands – Hands on hips – Hands on mid-thigh while seated – Sitting on edge of chair – Arms spread, gripping edge of table or desk – Moving closer – Sprinter's position – Hand-to-face gestures

• Evaluation– Hand-to-face gestures – Head tilted – Stroking chin – Peering over glasses – Taking glasses off, and cleaning – Putting eye glass ear piece in mouth – Pipe smoker gestures – Getting up from table and walking around – Putting hand to bridge of nose

• Attempt to Interrupt– Raising hand– Taping one’s ear– Sealing one’s lips

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Brief NVL dictionary: negative signs• Boredom / Loss of Interest

– Doodling– Drumming with fingers– Legs crossed, foot kicking– Head in palm of hands– Blank stare– Take eyeglasses off and slowly put them on a table

• Defensiveness– Arms crossed on chest – Legs over chair arms while seated – Sitting in arm chair reversed– Crossing Legs– Fist-like gestures– Pointing index finger– Karate chops– Fast eye blinking– Hand to chest (female)

• Frustration / Annoyance– Short breaths– Tchsk sound– Tightly clenched hands– Wringing hands– Fist-like gestures– Pointing index finger– Running hand through the hair– Rubbing back of the neck– Kicking at ground or imaginary object– Take eyeglasses off and toss them on a table

• Nervousness– Clearing thought– Whew sound– Soft whistling– Picking or pinching flesh– Fidgeting in chair– Hands cover mouth while speaking– Avoiding eye contact– Tugging at pants while seated – Jingling money or keys in the pocket– Tugging at ear – Perspiring or wringing of hands

• Suspicion– Not looking at you– Arms crossed– Moving away from you– Silhouette body towards you – Sideways glance– Feet / body pointing towards exit– Touching or rubbing nose– Rubbing eyes– Buttoning coat– Drawing away

• Self-control – Holding arm behind back – Gripping wrist – Locked ankles – Clenched hands

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Brief NVL dictionary: deception signs• General body language

– Little or no eye contact. – Physical expression are limited, stiff or

mechanical. – Hands, arm and legs pull in toward the body;

the individual takes up less space.– Hand(s) may go up to the face or throat,

especially to the mouth. But contact with body is limited to these areas.

– Rapid (increased rate of) blinking.• Signs of anxiety

– Blushing or going pail – Breathing may appear as a deep or short– Swallowing becomes difficult (need a drink?)– Clearing throat– High pitch voice

• NVL – VL interdependencies– When the subject is changed, liar gets in a

better, more relaxed mood.– Immediate initial response and followed by a

pause and delayed explanation.– Reactions that are all out of proportion to the

question, over-justification.

• Emotional States– Gestures don’t match the verbal message.– The timing and duration of emotional

gestures is off. The emotion is delayed coming on, stays longer than it should, and fades out abruptly.

– Expression will be limited to the mouth area when the person is feigning certain emotions – happiness, surprise, awe, and so on –rather than the whole face.

• Interpersonal Interactions– Reluctantly to face the accuser or turn of the

head or shift the body away.– There’s movement away from his accuser,

possibly in the direction of the exit.– Place physical objects between liar and

accuser.

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Tips For A Quality Interview• Come prepared, know all aspects

of job requirements• Conduct in place of privacy,

ensure zero no interruptions • Allow appropriate time for the

interview• Build rapport with interviewees • Encourage interviewees to talk • Stick to your agenda, maintain

structure• Organize interview questions in

themes or topics• Question to get candidate to

explain their thought processes and actions

• One question at a time

• Probe and use silence to help

• Keep questions job-related, avoid personal areas

• LISTEN responsively

• No commentary during interview on candidate's responses

• Keep the distance – both physical and emotional

• Take detail notes through out the interview

• Present information and selling points

• Stay optimistic

• Display courtesy and good manners

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Interviewing Techniques: Exercise• Set the Stage

– Courtesy questions / break the ice– Introduce the process / agenda– Establish expectations– Sale on the company– Sale on the position

• Perform– Questions & Answers– Tests– Discussions

• Clean Up / Closure – Discussion / Q & A– Sale reinforcement– Next steps / expectations

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Evaluation• Springboard from the Job Description

– Typical Duties and Responsibilities (Skill Cast / Talent Cast / Personality Cast)– Required Skills, Experience and Background (Skill Cast / Talent Cast)– Desired Skills, Experience and Background (Skill Cast / Talent Cast)– Desired Personal Qualities (Personality Cast)– Comp Package and Constraints (Compensation Cast)

• Writing evaluation– Write evaluation ASAP after interview– Rely on Facts / Add examples and quotes from the interview– Rely on notes and information gathered to make judgments– Control your own biases – Keep first impressions in check / Avoid gut reactions – Do let your intuition help you through the assessment– Evaluate everyone by the same criteria

• Group Discussion– Present your case– Listen to others’ views and findings– Do not be afraid of changing your positions– Seek consensus – Allow for the Veto right

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Negotiations & Closure • Negotiation Points

– Know your Options / Goals / BATNA

– Comp Package (Salary, Bonus, Stock Options, etc.)

– Time to start– Vacations, Holiday, PTO – Work style specifics (WFH,

telecommute, etc.)

• Closure– Ask for the commitment– Educate a person about the

counter offer– Test the commitment

• Offer– Verbal Offer and Handshake– Official Offer and acceptance– It’s not over till it’s over

• References– Confirmation for your conclusions– Tips for handling special

situations– Role fit justification

• Background Check– Driving Record / Criminal – HR

Outsourcing– Security requirements, TBD– Drug free environment, TBD

• HR Docs– Candidate’s documents– Employment Application– Background check authorization– New employee process– Other docs, TBD

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Staying Legal• Avoid or be very careful with the

questions related to– Sex– Religion– Citizenship / National Origin / Race or Color– Name(s)– Marital or Family Status– Pregnancy– Status with regards to public assistance– Age– Sexual Orientation– Educational Requirements– Work History– Organizations Affiliated With / Memberships– Union memberships– Military service / obligations / type of discharge– Emergency contact– Non-work related activities / hobbies – Criminal history– Disabilities/Handicaps– Physical Appearance– Medical Condition or Health Status– Workers' Compensation History– Political Beliefs– Economic or Financial Status– Personal Affairs– Credit history– Physical requirements– Medical examinations– Drug and alcohol testing– Residence / Personal Property– Relatives– Photographs

• Be professional and polite• Do not make ANY promises• Do not lie, mislead, or oversell• Keep safe distance

– Physical– Emotional

• Be prepared to– Emotional outbursts– Confrontation– Gross mismatch

• Deal with your biases• Take notes

Common Sense Management - Recruitment & Casting

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Transcript of Common Sense Management - Recruitment & Casting