A question we always get about interviewing is "How do you know the potential employee is telling the truth?" I often have to remind managers and owners that they are the ones conducting the interview and that they have control over it. If someone gives you an answer you doubt, don't understand, doesn't make sense, or you just don't believe, keep asking questions that will clarify the response. When the interviewee doesn't fully answer your question, ask them further questions. You will only get out of an interview the questions you put into it.
Managers frequently don't get the connection between the interview they conducted, and the employee they are now looking to terminate. What went wrong? Probably, nothing went wrong - it was just never right. Believe me, every manager has a bad hire at some point in their career. But striving to hire the right person, the first time around, is usually the best way to go, even if it takes a little longer.
So how do you do this?
Interviewing is not as easy as some may think. It is a learned skill. The more you conduct interviews, the easier it gets, and the better you get at it. But you have to look back through your interviews and realize what you have learned.
We are often able to train our clients by doing interviews with them. After the interviews are over, we go through an interview review exercise to find the 'red flags' in the candidate's interview. What did they say? How did they say it? Did they answer the question you asked? Did they give you enough information? Our client usually can find 1 or 2 of the red flags, and then we point out 10 more and they say, "Ohhhh." This is one of many ways in which HR Solutions is able to help our clients conduct more effective employment interviews.
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HR Solutions Weblog |
How to Conduct an Effective Employment Interview
Renee McNally - Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sending the Right Message to Employees
Renee McNally - Friday, August 28, 2009
Have you ever stopped to think about how you’re communicating with your employees?
Chances are, you’re thinking that, yes, I talk to my employees every day. What are you talking about – the job, the task at hand, how the family is? What about the communication that’s NOT talked about?
Everything you say, write, do, or DO NOT do, sends a message to your employees, so you should always be thinking, “What message do I want to send?” Every action, verbal or non verbal, directly or indirectly, sends some message.
Let’s look at some examples...
XYZ Company has had employee performance issues with Jack. Jack has received coaching and counseling on a regular basis for the past 5-6 months, but his performance has not improved. All of this has been documented in his employee file. Finally, the time comes to terminate Jack.
At the same time, other employees of XYZ Company have watched a number of employees get fired, and the rumor is that the Director has a ‘hit list’. The employees are always wondering, “Who’s next?”
If XYZ Company now fires Jack, what message do you think management will send to the other employees? Hopefully you can see that the wrong message will be sent – that the rumored ‘hit list’ might be true – even though there may be no direct communication to the rest of the employees.
Take a different situation: Jane is late to work on a regular basis. It is affecting her work performance as well as negatively affecting employee morale. Her supervisors have conversations with her to remind her that she cannot continue to be late, but nothing else happens and Jane continues to be late. What message is her supervisor sending to the other employees? The message is, “It’s ok to be late.” The supervisor is not holding Jane accountable.
So, what do you do? It’s really a matter of thinking before you speak, write, or take action (or inaction). Think about what you are doing or not doing, and the message it may send to other employees. Then ask yourself, “Is this the message I really want to send?”
If the answer is no, or that you’re not sure, explore some alternative actions before taking an action that could be misconceived.
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