On Hiring:  I’ve done my fair share of hiring over the years, and a recent bout with helping a company do some team building (including hiring (& firing)) brings about this post on hiring.

I’ve used a lot of resources in the past; a corporate Monster Account for searching resumes, Ads on various sites such as The Ladders, Monster, Indeed, Craigslist, Linked In; project bidding sites; google searches for Consultants; use of head-hunters and temp agencies; referred-by-a-friend.

My all-time favorite for entry-mid-level jobs, even technical or project-based consultants, hands-down, is craigslist.  Why?  2 reasons:

1)      Responders are looking for work RIGHT NOW.   This is one of my main complaints with resume sites – many times the resumes posted are from people who are desultory about a job search or actually already took a job.  Waste of time.

2)      Responders want YOUR JOB.  They’ve read your detailed post and made a decision, that yes, they would be interested in your job and at that salary range.  Great!  The first hurdle is over.  With head-hunters, temp agencies, resume searches, and referrals by friends – you have to have this discussion about the job, salary range, and more times than not you don’t have a fit.

So I’m a fan of detailed Job Postings.  It’s my recommendation if you do an ad, you should list in a salary range.  Also, think about education, skills, and job experience levels as requirements – and stick with them.  It will make screening quicker.   Once you have resumes…

Resume Screening

1)      Do they live close enough to come to work every day, really? If not – do they make some comment about their current location in their cover letter?  Or show that they’ve handled a long/crazy commute in the past?  I have learned the hard way that someone living 1.5 hours away generally never works.  They may be desperate for work, or maybe they haven’t realized you’re 1.5 hrs away.

2)      Do they have the education level, skills, and job experience you required?

3)      Do they have mistakes in grammar, punctuation, or basic formatting in their resume or cover letter?

4)      Did they include a cover letter?  (FYI, I’ve given up on this mostly since about 50% of entry/mid level people do not submit one.  I have found good people who neglected to submit a cover letter even though one was requested).

5)      If it’s a technical or graphic position, or other skilled position, did they provide samples (if you requested?)

Interviewing

1)      Have them fill out an application with references and salary history and reasons they left their past jobs.  Did they omit this information?  Usually it indicates there’s a problem or they can’t follow directions or they are the type that will skip steps.

2)      Do the basic interview questions – people should be prepared for these.  They can really only eliminate themselves on these questions.

1. ‘Why did you leave your last job?’ – At least you will always get some interesting responses..
2. ‘Tell me about your last job’ –  Though it’s probably clear on their resume, it’s good to hear how they prioritize what they did.  And if it doesn’t match the resume, red flag.
3. ‘What is your strength/weakness?’ –  I continue to be amazed that people ‘fail’ this question, by coming up with the lamest strength ever, or giving a weakness that is some certifiable / fire-able offense.
4. ‘Since you graduated from college with xx degree, tell me about your career path and where you want to go next?’ –  Their answer will illustrate if your company fits in with their vision for themselves or not.  I find that people get caught up in their own story arc and occasionally they will end up revealing some truths that make you realize they’re never going to work out because their heart is set completely elsewhere.

3)      Ask open-ended questions to see their personality emerge.

4)      Give them some kind of administrative test (analytical skills, checking, filing, basic math, proofreading) – again, they can only knock themselves out of the running by failing to read directions or answer correctly.  I like doing this because it either confirms someone’s got basic intelligence, or shows that someone puts on a good impression but is really not quite bright at all (if they ‘fail’).

5)      Ask the receptionist his/her impressions.