So how is your hiring effectiveness? If you are like most people, approximately 50% of the people you hire will work out and the other 50% will either be fired or be deemed an unsuccessful hire. Yet, when you look at the factors influencing your success, there is nothing more important than having excellent people on your team. So why the disconnect? There are several factors that influence hiring effectiveness:

• Understanding the required competencies
• Investigating past performance
• Seeing the candidates in action
• Establishing clear expectations and ongoing review and feedback
• Being a strong customer

Understanding the Required Competencies

During a recent meeting with a client to discuss their staffing requirements, we spent about 30 minutes going over the skills and attributes required for the Instructional Design opening. Included in the job description were prior experience working in the securities industry, knowledge of Dreamweaver and Flash, and solid project management experience. The description also included an advanced degree and specific exposure to customer service operations. It was a pretty typical job description but there were two issues that I brought up to the client. First, if a candidate appeared that had this background, would it guarantee that the employee would be a successful hire? This led to the second question - were these the skills that were really required?

We looked at the current top performers in the organization and their core competencies. In one instance, an instructional designer had prior industry experience. However, the three other top performers in the department came from very different industry backgrounds. But they all had several consistent attributes:

• All self-starters, able to function very well in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment. They did not become flustered when deadlines and priorities shifted.
• Had solid educational backgrounds from leading universities with Instructional Design programs and all had completed internships with major corporations. They exhibited an uncanny ability to work well with subject matter experts and to assimilate new information and tools. Their deliverables always satisfied internal clients.
• Required very little direction.

It is virtually impossible to identify an appropriate employee if the requirements of the position are not consistent with what is truly important. Based on this conversation, we developed a new job description that focused on the above attributes.

Investigate Past Performance

In his book, Hire with Your Head , Lou Adler, the founder of Power Hiring, asserts that the typical employment interview is only 57% accurate. He goes on to say that past performance is the greatest indicator of future performance. The Power Hiring approach introduces a method of interviewing that elicits responses from candidates that indicate their past accomplishments. The method has several excellent concepts:

Do not ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no response. For example:

• Incorrect Question:  Have you ever managed a large-scale project?
• Correct Question:  Please give me an example of a situation where you were responsible for heading up a large-scale project and please indicate the reporting structure and the different departments that were involved in the project.

Given the attributes of the top performing instructional designers noted earlier, here are some examples of questions that would provide insight in the candidate's past performance:

• Tell me about a situation in your past where you encountered priorities that shifted significantly and how you adjusted to the new priority.
• Tell me about the latest technology, tool or methodology that you have had to learn.
• How would you characterize the management style of your last two managers? What were the benefits and difficulties you encountered with those management styles?

Calm Your Initial Assessments

As human beings, we are quick to make assessments.  We observe the world and make immediate judgments based on what we see, hear, and feel (all based on our previous influences). Hold off on making your final assessment for at least thirty minutes. Focus on the candidate and the interview. In many cases, it takes the candidate fifteen minutes or so to calm down and get centered during the interview. You may be surprised at how the candidate looks after thirty minutes compared with your initial assessment.

Tolerate Silence

No one likes to see someone struggling with an answer. After asking a question, give the candidate time to answer the question. Many times the interviewer answers the question for the candidate in an effort to elminate silence. Do not re-state the question. Invite the candidate to take their time and let them gather their thoughts and respond.

Get the candidate to relate past accomplishments or behaviors that may be an indicator of future performance. After asking each question, be prepared to drill down (usually two or three additional questions) to get a better sense of the candidates experience.

See the Candidate in Action

I learned this next lesson from my experience working in New England in the early '90s. Wang Laboratories was one of the major employers at the time and they produced a product called Wang Office that was an MS Office-like suite of applications. As was the case with many of my interviews I asked candidates to bring along samples of their writing. I had set up two back-to-back interviews and had both candidates show me their samples. Both showed the same sample.  I learned that you cannot understand a candidates' core skills unless they demonstrate their competence. During the course of the interviewing process, this can take many different shapes. Have the candidate:

• Draw the organization chart on a whiteboard and indicate their sphere of influence
• Diagram their philosophy for managing a project or a typical work flow
• Bring along samples of work in progress - documentation, project plans, design documents, multimedia solutions - and be prepared to question their reasoning for the design and layout; again drill down two to three levels to learn more about their experience
• Conduct a 10-15 minute presentation or training class
• Take a short writing test
• Take home an assignment for completion
• Critique the output of your department (yea, right... they'll be honest with this one)

Don't take any chances--see the candidate in action. Don't assume and remember to drill down with additional questions to truly gauge the candidates' experience.

Establishing Clear Expectations, Ongoing Review and Feedback

So you have identified a candidate to hire. We have found that new hires work out most effectively when there are clear expectations between the employee and the manager. There is no better time to establish these expectations than just before an offer is extended. These expectations should at the very least cover the:

• Training plan for getting the candidate up to speed quickly. Many employees take a passive role in their training, instead expecting the company to do it for them. I recommend making the employee an active participant in their training. Consider making them responsible for getting the training they require to be successful.
• Performance criteria for the first thirty/sixty/ninety days and first year. Wherever possible, the criteria should be measurable. In instances where the standards are not being met, establish a recovery plan and draw a line in the sand for when performance must meet the standard.
• Methods for status reporting. A two-year management course I completed introduced the concept of weekly employee status reports and status meetings that focus on the employee's top five commitments. During the status meeting, the performance criteria should be evaluated and any adjustments or reinforcement should be given. This is where you can declare your satisfaction, provide coaching, or make new requests. It is also an excellent opportunity to check in with the employee to gauge their level of satisfaction. With new employees it is important to keep close and ongoing communication during the first thirty to sixty days.
• Expectations and requests of the new employee. Determine beforehand what they believe that they will require of you and the organization to be successful and determine whether you can provide what is being requested--this can be very revealing.

Being a Strong Customer

The final factor influencing hiring effectiveness is to establish yourself as a customer of the employee. In the same way that we are all required to ensure external customer satisfaction, establish the relationship with the new employee where you are their customer—many top-notch employees already recognize this fact.  The key to career success and advancement is to continually satisfy your management and internal and external customers. Those professionals most skilled in creating and sustaining internal and external customer satisfaction have the quickest rising careers. So what is involved in being a strong customer?

• Declare when you are satisfied and do not tolerate poor service, effort, or mediocrity
• Learn to deliver effective negative and positive assessments
• Follow up on the commitments you make and the commitments that others make to you. Make sure that your employees know that you take their commitment seriously
• Adopt a "no surprises" policy; encourage open and timely communication
• Be willing to accept negative assessments from your employees and new ideas on how to improve the operation of your department
• As required, provide timely positive reinforcement or implement consequences

You are only as good as the people around you. These pointers, if implemented, will save you valuable time and money. They will also provide you with a team of top performers that can support you in realizing your career aspirations.

2001 Ross Squire. Printed with Permission.

About the Author
Ross Squire is the President of KnowledgeStaff. Ross has been involved in the learning and content design and delivery industry for close to twenty years. At various points in his career, Ross has been responsible for overseeing Marketing, Sales, Client Services, Project Direction, and Recruitment operations. Ross is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to career development, instructional technology, and technical writing industries.