Hiring Without Firing
...tes who passed the initial screening which helps him not to rely on one selection technique. 2. Successive Hurdles Approach: in this approach the selection predictors (ex. interview, tests…) are ranked from most important and reliable to the least. Which means candidates have to pass the most important first. To achieve the best selection: • All the job-related information has to be collected properly through applications, interviews, tests…etc. • Managers and HR staff who conduct the interview should be well trained in interviewing and assessing applicants. 3. The Ten Deadly Traps As described by Fernandez-Araoz, Claudio, most organizations have fallen into one or more of the ten common hiring traps, which reflect many aspects of human nature (1999): 1. The Reactive Approach Most job openings are the result of a firing or resignation. Organizations typically seek someone with the same good qualities of the previous person. The problem with this approach is that the organization focuses the search on the familiar personality rather than on the job’s requirements. 2. Unrealistic Specifications Most organizations set long and detailed job descriptions that could be filled by super-nature person, which are usually filled with contradictions. These specifications are usually complied without considering the critical priorities that the new manager should achieve. 3. Evaluating People In Absolute Terms Most executives during interviews have set of favorite questions that they ask regardless of particulars situation. The answers to these absolute questions are opinions, which are taken as a fact. 4. Accepting People At Face Value Resumes are edited to highlight successful experiences and executives almost always take candidates at face value and believe their answers to interview questions. The fact is the hiring process is not very conductive to complete truth and most organizations never try to see the hidden part. 5. Believing References Many interviewers tend to believe the candidates word and references as they believe there is no alternative. Usually, former and current tend to give a generous appraise without reporting the bad things. 6. The “Just Like Me” Bias One of the most destructive mistakes that many managers fall in is the tendency to hire or recruit candidates with common or similar personalities. Many mangers would feel that such candidates will success and serve well just because of this reason. Another example of it would be hiring people with same origins, such problem happens a lot in the gulf. 7. Delegation Gaffes According to my experience (which in my work place) this gaffe or mistake takes place in many organizations. Managers wont let any one in the company to take the decision of hiring or selecting any candidate, however they would delegate the most critical steps to others for example; Human Resource Department. Such delegation will not affect the process if they kept themselves involved through all the steps. But as we all know managers are so busy to do so. This will result in two main things: a. A delay and loss of time. b. The manager decision will not be that accurate. Another form of delegation mistakes that might happen is delegating or authorizing some one who is not experienced enough to handle the interview process. 8. Ignoring Emotional Intelligence Most companies rarely look at the candidate’s soft data, which is the candidate’s emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence consists of five main components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The familiarity within those traits doesn’t make them easy to identify. Every job requires different emotional competencies, but most companies leave them out of the hiring process entirely. During the interview process people would pretend that they have social competencies but the fact is they are trained throughout life to act cool, calm…etc when meeting people who will decide their fate. 9. Political Pressures One of the biggest hiring problems is the political pressure involved in recruiting. This happens usually when the manager’s decision is taken based on some pressures or other future plans. An example of such decisions would be the people tendency to hire their friends, relatives or any other candidates who have a relation with them ignoring their skills and knowledge. In some other cases people would be hired only to return favors for other managers. 10. Unstructured Interviews An interview is a useful tool to predict the performance of candidates as long as the interviewers structure the interview and be careful of what sort of traits they are assessing. (Dessler 2003: 169). A structured or planned interview is a must in all types of hiring especially with high level of recruitment (e.g. hiring a manager). The interviewer should know exactly what is he looking for in the candidate in terms of: knowledge, skills and other abilities. Such requirements need to be revealed through a well-designed or structured interview and questions. The cost of un-planned interview might be really high, especially when you loose a well-qualified and skilled candidate. According to Dessler, Gary, there are several things can affect and weaken interview usefulness (2003): • First Impression: The majority of interviewers had made up their minds before the interview began, based on first impression gleaned from candidates’ application forms and personal appearance. • Misunderstanding the Job: Interviewers who don’t know precisely what the job entails and what sort of candidates is best suited for it usually make their decision based on in-corrective stereotypes of what a good applicant is. • Candidate-order (contrast) Error and Pressure to Hire: Candidate order error is defined as: an error of judgment on the part of the interviewer due to interviewing one or more very good or very bad candidates just before an interview is question. Pressure to hire especially when people think they are behind recruiting quota can affect the candidates’ evaluation. • Nonverbal Behavior and Impression Management: Interviewers think they understand the interviewee personality from the way he or she acts in the interview. • Effect of Personal Characteristics: Attractiveness, Gender, Race. • Interviewer Behavior: When some of the interviewers talk so much, applicants have no time to answer questions, or letting the applicant dominate the interview and so don’t ask all their questions. 4. Getting Hiring Right To avoid the ten hiring traps as described by Fernandez-Araoz, Claudio, executives should follow a systematic process (1999): 1. Investing in the Problem Definition: which is described as the work that a company should do before it starts its search for candidates. 2. Doing the Homework: which is described as the practice that makes the evaluation process itself more insightful and more reliable and successful. 4.1 Investing in the Problem Definition: When an important vacancy is open the company should: 1. State the current and future requirement of the position which are driven form: the company’s’ strategy and by performing a generic assessment of the company’s situation. 2. Have a comprehensive understanding of the job opening itself that will guide the interview questions. 3. Identify the position’s “critical incidents”, or commonly occurring situations that the new executive will encounter. 4. Identify the job’s requirements from the point of view of the new executive’s would be colleagues and coworkers. 5. Prepare a job description, the minimum level of education and specific experience required. 6. Prepare a list of competencies. The competencies should be described in behavioral terms, such as team player, to be more useful. Finally, have a general agreement with all those involved in the hiring decision that the short list of competencies will guide the search evaluation process. 4.2 ...