subject: Perfman hr: interviewing and hiring as a team [print this page] Perfman hr: interviewing and hiring as a team
Most businesses prefer having at leastthree different people interview a jobcandidate, so they can base theirdecision on several opinions. A teamapproach allows tasks such as screening,formulating effective questions,and checking references to be sharedor delegated.
According to Rama Dev Jager andOrtiz Rafael, authors of In the Companyof Giants: Candid Conversations withthe Visionaries of the Digital World,candidates for jobs at Apple Computerstalk to at least a dozen people in severalareas of the company. When makinga final decision, consensus is the goal:a candidate is rejected if even one outof 10 interviewers questions the fit. AtGoogle, candidates talk to half a dozeninterviewers, both managers and potentialcolleagues. At a Microsoft interview,a candidate might spend a dayshuttling from office to office on theRedmond campus while the interviewersshare their opinions and impressionswith each other in e-mails.
Red Flags
WEEDING OUT PROBLEM CANDIDATES
Recruitment experts say that astandard application is one of themost effective ways to avoid hiringa liar. According to Lester Rosen,attorney and president of EmploymentScreening Services of Novato,California, "Warning signs includeneglecting to sign the application,which could shield the candidate frombeing accused of falsification, or notconsenting to a background check."Also, if the work history portion of theform shows gaps of employment, askthe candidate to clarify.It's important to follow up with theindividual if the application is missing information in the criminal recordsection or if no reasons are given forleaving previous jobs. Either of theseomissions could also indicate yourcandidate has past problems.
If you retain a recruitmentfirm, they often supply backgroundchecks as part of their service.
SOURCE: "Spotting Lies" by PamelaBabcock, HRMagazine (October 2003).
"When in doubt, don'thirekeep looking." Jim Collins,author of Good to Great.
Most businesses prefer having at least three different people interview a job candidate, so they can base their decision on several opinions. A team approach allows tasks such as screening, formulating effective questions, and checking references to be shared or delegated. According to Rama Dev Jager and Ortiz Rafael, authors of In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations with the Visionaries of the Digital World, candidates for jobs at Apple Computers talk to at least a dozen people in several areas of the company. When making a final decision, consensus is the goal: a candidate is rejected if even one out of 10 interviewers questions the fit. At Google, candidates talk to half a dozen interviewers, both managers and potential colleagues. At a Microsoft interview, a candidate might spend a day shuttling from office to office on the Redmond campus while the interviewers share their opinions and impressions with each other in e-mails.
