Are you in the process of hiring employees, or looking for ways to retain your existing employees? The following article gives you some sound advice on how to hire good employees, and how to retain them.
Hiring and Retaining Good Employees
Hiring good employees is not only important to business, it’s essential. Employees are the heart and soul of a business; they are the mechanism that makes a business run; they are the breath of life that enables a business to be something more than an idea.
A business cannot run unless someone (employees, in this case) is doing the work. Any intelligent business owner should want good employees.
Employers not the only ones to feel the effect
Bad employees not only affect an employer by driving down sales, costing the company unwanted expenses due to negligence or simple lack of motivation, etc, but they affect the customer as well.
Of course, once a customer has experienced a bad employee, it automatically affects the employer in obvious ways.
Although this seems like common sense to most people, it is uncanny how most employers will overlook this fact, whether it’s because of time constraints to effectively deal with the problem or lack of better judgment.
Whatever the case, it is a fact that sales get driven down and production slowed for a reason. That reason could very well be because of the customer’s lack of satisfaction with whatever service he or she had received and that lack of satisfaction stems from bad employees.
Find the right people to start with:
This is one of the most important things you, as an employer, can do. Getting the right people into your company to start with gets things moving in the right direction at the very beginning.
According to Chairman and CEO, Hal F. Rosenbluth, and Consultant, Diane McFerrin Peters, of Rosenbluth International, the third-largest travel management company in the world, “Most of us choose our spouse with care and rear our children with nurturing and compassionate attention. Yet, we tend to select the people who will join our company on the basis of an interview or two, and once they have joined, they often find that they must fend for themselves.
This contrast illustrates the disparity between the environments of family and work. But, given the amount of time we must spend at work, wouldn’t we all be happier if we took as much care at the office as at home to create a supportive environment? Wouldn’t we also be far more successful?”
The answer is yes.
The customer does not come first
It’s important to remember that if you want quality employees, your company must be of the same caliber.
If you expect to attract an employee who thrives to be as dedicated to the business as possible, doing more than what is expected, and putting forth 110% without any consideration being given to the employee’s personal needs, thoughts, and desires, you are truly fooling yourself.
And, eventually, your business will suffer for it.
It’s obvious to most, by now, that benefits and perks play a large part in attracting employees. I need not explain the many benefits that a company should make available to attract a good employee because it should be common sense to most, by now.
I will say, however, that attaining a good employee must go much farther than just having a great set of benefits. After all, does a wonderful benefits package actually attract only good employees? Of course not. There must be more to it than that.
For the customer to be served with the best results humanly possible, a more modern approach to the theory of customer satisfaction must be realized which is that the customer should not come first; the employee should.
Therein in itself is one of the most successful ways to attract a good employee.
When a business puts its employees first, many things can happen. To begin with, the employee is happy. If the employee is happy, the service that the employee provides to the customer will be far more outstanding than if he or she were not happy. If the service is outstanding, the customer will be happy and that only spells successful results for the business.
This does not mean that an employer must wait hand and foot on the employee.
No, it simply means that careful consideration to what an employee thinks, wants, and suggests should be considered.
Do not treat an employee as if he or she is a factory robot working on a clock. Treat them as people. Treat them with respect by talking to them as people and not “talking down to them” as “employees”. In fact, a good idea would be to remove the term “employee” all together.
One successful company I know of refers to its employees as “associates”, thereby empowering their “associates” with a feeling of more respect and purpose.
Employee leadership and flexibility a must
An open, friendly atmosphere is a must in a workplace.
Micro managing, as most already are aware of, is frowned upon. This is for a reason.
When a work environment is open enough for all employees to contribute and offer ideas and suggestions, without ridicule or negative response, this sparks creativity in an employee and, again, empowers them to contribute more to the business.
If everyone feels as though they are a part of the leadership process and not just a worker bee, they will have a satisfying feeling that can go a long way. Micro managing completely kills this system.
An employer must be flexible.
Does there really need to be a rigid schedule? Does lunchtime really need to take place at a specific time? Who actually needs a clock to tell them when they are hungry?
This line of thinking is what is needed in every faucet of business, as simple as it seems.
It makes an employee feel more like a human; it makes them feel as though the business respects them as a person and will put them first.
Once that consideration is instilled in an employee’s mind, there isn’t anything that he or she wouldn’t do for a business.
And, when a person looks forward to waking up in the morning to begin working in a place where they feel management gives them respect and thinks highly of them, they will put forth the effort to show appreciation.
Hire nice people
Experience and degrees are great ways of measuring employees’ qualifications and potential ... but ask yourself, are they nice people?
A person can be the most qualified, educated, and experienced possible employee on the planet but if they have the personality of a wet paper bag or of a caged wolverine, it’s guaranteed they’re not going to do much for your business.
Those that have to work with them will be disgruntled on a daily basis and begin putting out a poor performance. The customers that receive service from them will be unhappy and I need not say what happens after that.
Hire nice people.
Nice people can do wonders for a business. Sound picky? It is. But, when it comes to your business, can you afford not to be picky?
A nice person can learn anything. Nice people are pleasant to be around and are easy to teach.
They are notoriously quick to learn.
So, even if your nice person does not have the skill set that you are looking for, one might consider the possibility of training. Think about the potential, especially if nice people seem to be rare in your neck of the woods.
How do you find nice people?
This should be obvious. During the interview process, were they down-to-earth or were they focused solely on success, success, and more success?
As crazy as it may seem, the total, success driven fanatic may not be the best option.
Again, the person who seems more like a “person” would be the best candidate for hiring. In the long run, they will make your business more successful because they would make the customer, as well as those that have to work with them, happier.
Conduct tests and unconventional interview methods.
Why should an interview consist of one or two meetings in a stuffy room? How can we really find out about a person that way? The answer is that we can’t.
Instead, how about combining the stuffy office interview one day with another day of playing a game of softball with other, current employees, as Hal F. Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin tend to do within their company?
This would be great for company moral and, at the same time, provide a chance to see how the potential employee reacts in a team environment.
If the person is bent on nothing but winning and becomes angry when other teammates drop the ball or do not hit as far as they should, perhaps this person is not the best employee to have around. Chances are that their performance on the softball field will reflect their performance in the office.
Go for a drive.
As again explained by Hal F. Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin Peters, the way a person drives an automobile says a lot about a person’s personality.
Are they overly aggressive and speed through traffic, weaving in an out of other cars, determined to get to the point of destination no matter what the cost?
Or, are they assertive drivers who consider the safety of their passengers and think of alternate routes when confronted with a traffic jam, focusing more on the drive than the destination?
Which person would you rather have working for you? Which person would you rather have serving your customers? If you were a customer, which person would you rather have serving you?
Invite your new, potential employee to a company social event.
Are they the type of person that talks only of themselves and continuously brags about all of the wonderful things that he or she has done? Do they even talk to anyone at all?
These are the folks that either want to gain far more than they are willing to contribute or aren’t willing to gain or contribute. These are the type of people that will bring your company down.
So, some key points to consider thus far:
* Consider your employees before your customers. Not only will the employee put out a far better performance due to feeling respected, but your company will also build a reputation as being “the company to work for”, which will attract other, good employees.
* Be flexible. Constraints in the office constrain creativity and work performance. Go for casual clothing, if possible. Let your employee decide when it’s time to eat and take a break. Be flexible on your employee’s schedule, catering to his or her personal needs. The employee will show appreciation in return, by supplying a good output of production.
* Hire nice people. Not one customer in the world, no matter what business you are in, enjoys service from someone with less-than-appreciative attitude. And, your other employees will not enjoy working with them either, bringing down moral and production drastically. This kind of person will not be willing to strive at contributing to your company; they will strive to contribute only to themselves.
* Consider the unconventional when interviewing an employee. The more often you can set a scenario that a potential employee will not expect or could find to be an unusual method of interviewing, the better. It will give you a chance to see what that person is really capable of, as a person.
Retaining good employees
As important as attracting good employees is, it is just as important to retain them.
As always, benefit packages help to retain employees.
But, again, this is something that most people are already aware of. Sure, there will be those that will want to stay for the great benefits. But, is that all you, as an employer, can offer? No.
After spending as much time as you should have in attracting good employees, it only makes sense that you would go to certain lengths to keep them.
Chances are, if you really attracted a good employee, it wasn’t just because of the benefits.
And, chances are that your good employee will not stay just because of the benefits. Benefits, although a positive force, are not the end all and can, at times, be a false sense of security to an employer.
Not everyone develops his or her retention decision on a benefits package, at least not the smart employee.
Let them change it now and again
Let your people explore your company.
Don’t lock them into one, specific type of work, especially if they express desire to try other things.
In today’s job market, job-hopping, as it is known, is a regular occurrence. If you provide your employees with the chance to job-hop “within” your company, this is one way of keeping them there.
Give them the opportunity to gain new experience, knowledge, and skills. This will only enhance your company anyway, by having an employee that can do and handle more.
It also increases confidence in the employee and makes their work more satisfying. The United States military and civil services such as police and fire departments have already figured that one out. They call it cross-training and fleeting-up and it’s a great idea.
Communication:
Communicating is very important, not only in day to day business, but in retention as well.
People need to feel as though they have a grasp on what is going on within the company. They want to know where the company is going and how they will be part of that process.
They need to feel they are involved in the company. Being part of any planning processes, being able to contribute ideas for the company, and essentially being heard is all part of communication.
Again, this is emphasized in most of the U.S.’s military forces as well, even though they conduct themselves in more of a dictatorship.
Know why your people wanted to join your company in the first place and hone in on that. Keep that priority of the employee in consideration, always acting on it and developing it, and the employee will want to continue that purpose with a strong sense.
Talk to your people. Not only should you get to know them, you should get to know what they continue to want and think.
And, don’t think for a minute that a person’s desires and thoughts on particular matters will be the same later down the road as they were when they first joined the organization. Things change, including your employee’s thoughts and desires. Keep up with those changes.
Get feedback from your employees. Find out what they think is right and wrong with the company. Provide a feedback forum. And, most importantly, act on the information you receive from this feedback.
In summary:
* Let your employee job hop and provide an opportunity to let them do it within your company, instead of having to go outside the company. More than likely, if they can’t do it in the company, they will venture outside to a place that they can. Take advantage of the multiple skills your people can learn within the company. This not only helps your company out, it gives the employee a feeling of more purpose and he or she will enjoy not having to go far to expand their skills.
* Keep your people in mind when it comes to information on where the company is headed and what it is doing. If the employee does not feel informed on what is happening, they will not feel as though they are part of the company and, therefore, will not want to stay, in the long run.
* Get to know what your people want, when they first enter the organization and periodically throughout their tenure. People’s motives and desires change. The good employer is the one that can keep up with those changes. Offer feedback methods and make sure you act on the results.
* Above all, remember what it was that got you that good employee in the first place. The concepts mentioned in this article that enable an employer to attain a good employee to begin with are basically the same principals of retaining them as well. It’s that simple. Anyone who works for a company that considers their needs, is just, and can remain flexible, as well as provides other good employees to work alongside, will want to continue working in that company. Hiring and retaining good employees goes hand in hand.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Interview Structure / Interview Process
The interview is a structured discussion aimed at obtaining information on candidate’s abilities and behaviour in the work environment. You should try to avoid making judgements as you listen since this might prevent you from hearing what is being said. Make notes – explain to the candidate that you will be doing so. If you are interviewing with a colleague – strongly recommended – then take turns to ask questions and take notes.
Best practice demonstrates that the more relaxed and comfortable the candidate is the more you will learn about them, so take a bit of time to settle them down before starting the formal process.
Preparation:
Analyse the role that you are filling and identify those key skills, capabilities, competencies, past achievements which will lead to success in the role and identify questions that will enable you to evaluate each candidate against these.
Make time to prepare for the interview in advance. Review application materials, including curriculum vitae and any application forms. Decide which jobs/experiences are most relevant to the target job.
Prepare your introductory questions:
· Note any jobs/experiences on which you are unclear or would like more information
· Note areas of interest and areas of concern that you would like to explore
· Note any gaps in employment
Decide on the structure of the interview for example:
· Introduction
· Probe areas of interest from the CV
· Behavioural questions
· Other areas of interest
· Close
Decide questions in advance to ensure consistency of questioning to all candidates. Use follow up questions to probe which will clearly be different but the main areas explored will be consistent and make selection much easier.
Opening the Interview:
Greet the applicant, giving your name and position and those of other interviewers involved.
Explain the interviews purpose:
· To acquaint interviewer and applicant
· To learn more about the applicants background and experience
· To help the applicant understand the position and organisation
Describe the interview plan:
· Briefly review jobs/experiences
· Ask questions to get specific information about those jobs/experiences
· Answer candidates questions about the position and organisation
· Point out that you both will get information needed to make good decisions indicate that you will be taking notes
Closing the Interview:
· Ask them if they have any questions
· Ask them if there is anything that they would like to have said, or would wish you to know that they did not feel they had a chance to say or put across
· Explain next steps in selection process (don’t over commit on timescales and ask the candidate to flag up any problems with the timescales).
· Thank applicant for productive interview
Best practice demonstrates that the more relaxed and comfortable the candidate is the more you will learn about them, so take a bit of time to settle them down before starting the formal process.
Preparation:
Analyse the role that you are filling and identify those key skills, capabilities, competencies, past achievements which will lead to success in the role and identify questions that will enable you to evaluate each candidate against these.
Make time to prepare for the interview in advance. Review application materials, including curriculum vitae and any application forms. Decide which jobs/experiences are most relevant to the target job.
Prepare your introductory questions:
· Note any jobs/experiences on which you are unclear or would like more information
· Note areas of interest and areas of concern that you would like to explore
· Note any gaps in employment
Decide on the structure of the interview for example:
· Introduction
· Probe areas of interest from the CV
· Behavioural questions
· Other areas of interest
· Close
Decide questions in advance to ensure consistency of questioning to all candidates. Use follow up questions to probe which will clearly be different but the main areas explored will be consistent and make selection much easier.
Opening the Interview:
Greet the applicant, giving your name and position and those of other interviewers involved.
Explain the interviews purpose:
· To acquaint interviewer and applicant
· To learn more about the applicants background and experience
· To help the applicant understand the position and organisation
Describe the interview plan:
· Briefly review jobs/experiences
· Ask questions to get specific information about those jobs/experiences
· Answer candidates questions about the position and organisation
· Point out that you both will get information needed to make good decisions indicate that you will be taking notes
Closing the Interview:
· Ask them if they have any questions
· Ask them if there is anything that they would like to have said, or would wish you to know that they did not feel they had a chance to say or put across
· Explain next steps in selection process (don’t over commit on timescales and ask the candidate to flag up any problems with the timescales).
· Thank applicant for productive interview
Ten Questions You Don't Want to Ask in a Job Interview
In 1999 alone, nearly 80,000 complaints were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and many of them alleged discriminatory hiring practices. How can so many companies have left themselves open to such charges?
According to John C. Fox, the chairman of the labor and employment law group at Fenwick & West LLP in Palo Alto, California, and a former executive director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program in Washington D.C., although many employers have emphasized training and education in recent years, training has typically focused on recruiters and HR staff.
However, many of the legal blunders are committed at the hiring-manager level. To avoid potentially problematic hiring practices, make sure that your hiring managers are versed in what interviewing practices are legal and proper.
Fox also blames problematic hiring processes on the sizzling economy, record-low unemployment, and the consequent frenzied hiring atmosphere. In the rush to recruit new talent, companies are plowing through job applicants.and leaving their training manuals on the shelf.
"A lot of companies are pretty highly regulated and trained on this," Fox says. "But in an industry like manufacturing, where you have very high turnover and companies that are desperate to hire workers, a lot of the formalities go right out the door."
Questions to Avoid
The EEOC publishes a manual titled Employer EEO Responsibilities. Every smart company should make sure that the employees who conduct interviews on its behalf understand the information contained in this manual.
What follows are a number of topics to avoid in interviews. Some of the questions below are not discriminatory per se, but would trigger close scrutiny by the EEOC because they could be evidence of a discriminatory motive.
* Do you have children under age 18? What are your plans for child care? Questions such as these could be viewed as discriminatory against women if the employer asks them only of women. In addition, federal law prohibits employers from making preemployment inquiries into child-care arrangements.
* Do you have a credit record? Rejecting an applicant because of a poor credit rating tends to have a disproportionately negative impact on minority groups. Questions along these lines are unlawful unless there is a business necessity for knowing the answers. These questions may also have a disproportionately negative impact on women because many married women do not have an independent credit history.
* Are you pregnant? Do you plan to have children? Employers should avoid asking any questions regarding pregnancy or childbearing plans because discrimination based on pregnancy is unlawful.
* Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime? According to the EEOC, members of some minority groups are arrested disproportionately more often than whites, so making personnel decisions on the basis of arrest records could have a disparate impact on these groups. Depending on the position, however, the employer could have a valid business need to exclude such applicants. For example, a bank could be justified in excluding applicants convicted of embezzlement.
* What is your date of birth? Questions that give away an applicant's age could indicate unlawful discrimination on the basis of age.
* When did you graduate from high school or college? Similarly, since most people graduate from high school or college at around 18 to 22 years of age, these questions tend to reveal an applicant's age and could be considered discriminatory.
* Are you available to work on weekends? This question sounds innocent, but according to the EEOC, may demonstrate intent to discriminate by discouraging applicants of certain religions that prohibit working on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.
* What is the lowest salary you would accept? Because women have traditionally been paid less than men for the same work, they might be willing to accept lower pay. But as the EEOC points out, it is unlawful to pay a woman less than a man because of community wage patterns that are based on discrimination.
* Have you ever filed a workers' compensation claim? This question is unlawful because it is likely to reveal information about applicants' disabilities.
* Do you have a disability? What is the nature of your disability? The Americans with Disabilities Act forbids employers from making any pre-offer inquiries into an applicant's disability.
Building a Safer Interviewing Process
The safest way to steer people in your company away from asking problem interview questions is to provide standardized questions to be asked of all applicants. While following a script may eliminate much of the candor and conversational flow that drives a good interview, it can also prevent a costly lawsuit.
According to John C. Fox, the chairman of the labor and employment law group at Fenwick & West LLP in Palo Alto, California, and a former executive director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program in Washington D.C., although many employers have emphasized training and education in recent years, training has typically focused on recruiters and HR staff.
However, many of the legal blunders are committed at the hiring-manager level. To avoid potentially problematic hiring practices, make sure that your hiring managers are versed in what interviewing practices are legal and proper.
Fox also blames problematic hiring processes on the sizzling economy, record-low unemployment, and the consequent frenzied hiring atmosphere. In the rush to recruit new talent, companies are plowing through job applicants.and leaving their training manuals on the shelf.
"A lot of companies are pretty highly regulated and trained on this," Fox says. "But in an industry like manufacturing, where you have very high turnover and companies that are desperate to hire workers, a lot of the formalities go right out the door."
Questions to Avoid
The EEOC publishes a manual titled Employer EEO Responsibilities. Every smart company should make sure that the employees who conduct interviews on its behalf understand the information contained in this manual.
What follows are a number of topics to avoid in interviews. Some of the questions below are not discriminatory per se, but would trigger close scrutiny by the EEOC because they could be evidence of a discriminatory motive.
* Do you have children under age 18? What are your plans for child care? Questions such as these could be viewed as discriminatory against women if the employer asks them only of women. In addition, federal law prohibits employers from making preemployment inquiries into child-care arrangements.
* Do you have a credit record? Rejecting an applicant because of a poor credit rating tends to have a disproportionately negative impact on minority groups. Questions along these lines are unlawful unless there is a business necessity for knowing the answers. These questions may also have a disproportionately negative impact on women because many married women do not have an independent credit history.
* Are you pregnant? Do you plan to have children? Employers should avoid asking any questions regarding pregnancy or childbearing plans because discrimination based on pregnancy is unlawful.
* Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime? According to the EEOC, members of some minority groups are arrested disproportionately more often than whites, so making personnel decisions on the basis of arrest records could have a disparate impact on these groups. Depending on the position, however, the employer could have a valid business need to exclude such applicants. For example, a bank could be justified in excluding applicants convicted of embezzlement.
* What is your date of birth? Questions that give away an applicant's age could indicate unlawful discrimination on the basis of age.
* When did you graduate from high school or college? Similarly, since most people graduate from high school or college at around 18 to 22 years of age, these questions tend to reveal an applicant's age and could be considered discriminatory.
* Are you available to work on weekends? This question sounds innocent, but according to the EEOC, may demonstrate intent to discriminate by discouraging applicants of certain religions that prohibit working on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.
* What is the lowest salary you would accept? Because women have traditionally been paid less than men for the same work, they might be willing to accept lower pay. But as the EEOC points out, it is unlawful to pay a woman less than a man because of community wage patterns that are based on discrimination.
* Have you ever filed a workers' compensation claim? This question is unlawful because it is likely to reveal information about applicants' disabilities.
* Do you have a disability? What is the nature of your disability? The Americans with Disabilities Act forbids employers from making any pre-offer inquiries into an applicant's disability.
Building a Safer Interviewing Process
The safest way to steer people in your company away from asking problem interview questions is to provide standardized questions to be asked of all applicants. While following a script may eliminate much of the candor and conversational flow that drives a good interview, it can also prevent a costly lawsuit.
Setting up your Own Recruitment Business
The Recruitment Industry is a great place to be and running your own recruitment company can be a fantastically rewarding challenge. This article provides ideas and suggestions to recruiters who are, or are thinking of, setting up their own recruitment agency.
The basics for setting yourself up:
* Consider how you can best access the wide range of expert advice without unaffordable expense. Use free resources available on websites run by the government and professional bodies
* Use a formation company that can help you with the basics to ensure that you are compliant
* Find a good accountant.
* Decide about location; the need for offices, systems, infrastructure, staff. Initially try to do as much of this as possible on a service basis rather than through hiring staff
* Consider your brand. This may seem daunting but need not be too costly and is something that is hard to change later
* Consider your IT needs; what sort of web presence do you want, how will your candidate and client management systems work etc. See also this article in our knowledge centre
* Try to plan all your first year expenses up front so that you can prioritize and make good choices
Thinking about your finances and business plan:
* Be realistic. Put together a Profit and Loss forecast, run a worst case scenario - about 20% of your first estimate of sales. You can do an upside one as well for fun but make sure you can survive on the worst case at least for a substantial period of time.
* Look at your cash flow. Even a successful business can struggle with cash flow issues, and this becomes particularly critical if you are in the temp or employment agency market where your contractees will need paying every week and your clients will take a lot longer to pay. Plan on the industry average of around 50 debtor days or more.
* Get insured. Consider buying necessary insurance that you can pay for monthly. Yes, it's a little more expensive than paying up front but it helps you preserve your cash position.
* Seriously consider outsourcing temp payroll and credit control - aim to do this on a totally variable cost basis and utilise the outsourcers management disciplines. You need to be spending your time selling, not processing weekly payroll, dealing with C.S.A. queries and chasing debts etc. Don't hire payroll and credit control staff or buy payroll, invoicing and sales ledger systems. Get experts to do it but don't pay out up front and raise the invoices in your name.
* Be prudent. Check out the credit rating of your clients.
* Get your terms sorted. Absolutely clarity up front on invoice terms will save you effort and angst later on. Make sure you are clear about CVs you send to clients, protect yourself in the event that they hire people but not through you.
Thinking about your candidates:
* Take a bit of time to consider what it is that you will be offering your candidates and what might make you the recruiter of choice. How are you going to differentiate yourself from all the other agencies.
* How are you going to find candidates? Have you researched and costed the different options, which are likely to work best for you?
* Set your pricing parameters up front and take care not to compromise on these in an early bid to do business since you will find it hard to recoup them later - unless you build this into a longer term contract
* Decide - and cost - your candidate sourcing options
* Work hard on candidate care, and just as importantly, candidate after care. How do you plan to keep in touch with the people you placed? This is critical so that they come to you if they are looking to hire (or indeed move on)
* What service guarantees do you propose to give your clients
* How will you prevent your clients from taking your people and not paying your fees (make sure terms and conditions are legally robust and clearly printed on the backs of your CVs)
Thinking about your Clients:
* Take a bit of time to consider what it is that you will be offering your clients and what might make you the recruiter of choice. As a new entrant into the market you will need to think carefully - from the clients point of view - about why they might come to you.
* Set your pricing parameters up front and take care not to compromise on these in an early bid to do business since you will find it hard to recoup them later - unless you build this into a longer term contract
* What service guarantees do you propose to give your clients? Consider your position if your candidate leaves within 1 month, 3 months, 12 months. Consider different fee structures based on candidate aftercare and retention guarantees. Consider invoicing over the first 6 months post placement (it might hit your cash flow but could give you competitive advantage and keep your fees up)
* If you are negotiating a long term preferred supplier arrangement consider using a procurement professional
* Think about how you will prevent your clients from taking your people and not paying your fees (make sure terms and conditions are legally robust and clearly printed on the backs of your CVs)
The basics for setting yourself up:
* Consider how you can best access the wide range of expert advice without unaffordable expense. Use free resources available on websites run by the government and professional bodies
* Use a formation company that can help you with the basics to ensure that you are compliant
* Find a good accountant.
* Decide about location; the need for offices, systems, infrastructure, staff. Initially try to do as much of this as possible on a service basis rather than through hiring staff
* Consider your brand. This may seem daunting but need not be too costly and is something that is hard to change later
* Consider your IT needs; what sort of web presence do you want, how will your candidate and client management systems work etc. See also this article in our knowledge centre
* Try to plan all your first year expenses up front so that you can prioritize and make good choices
Thinking about your finances and business plan:
* Be realistic. Put together a Profit and Loss forecast, run a worst case scenario - about 20% of your first estimate of sales. You can do an upside one as well for fun but make sure you can survive on the worst case at least for a substantial period of time.
* Look at your cash flow. Even a successful business can struggle with cash flow issues, and this becomes particularly critical if you are in the temp or employment agency market where your contractees will need paying every week and your clients will take a lot longer to pay. Plan on the industry average of around 50 debtor days or more.
* Get insured. Consider buying necessary insurance that you can pay for monthly. Yes, it's a little more expensive than paying up front but it helps you preserve your cash position.
* Seriously consider outsourcing temp payroll and credit control - aim to do this on a totally variable cost basis and utilise the outsourcers management disciplines. You need to be spending your time selling, not processing weekly payroll, dealing with C.S.A. queries and chasing debts etc. Don't hire payroll and credit control staff or buy payroll, invoicing and sales ledger systems. Get experts to do it but don't pay out up front and raise the invoices in your name.
* Be prudent. Check out the credit rating of your clients.
* Get your terms sorted. Absolutely clarity up front on invoice terms will save you effort and angst later on. Make sure you are clear about CVs you send to clients, protect yourself in the event that they hire people but not through you.
Thinking about your candidates:
* Take a bit of time to consider what it is that you will be offering your candidates and what might make you the recruiter of choice. How are you going to differentiate yourself from all the other agencies.
* How are you going to find candidates? Have you researched and costed the different options, which are likely to work best for you?
* Set your pricing parameters up front and take care not to compromise on these in an early bid to do business since you will find it hard to recoup them later - unless you build this into a longer term contract
* Decide - and cost - your candidate sourcing options
* Work hard on candidate care, and just as importantly, candidate after care. How do you plan to keep in touch with the people you placed? This is critical so that they come to you if they are looking to hire (or indeed move on)
* What service guarantees do you propose to give your clients
* How will you prevent your clients from taking your people and not paying your fees (make sure terms and conditions are legally robust and clearly printed on the backs of your CVs)
Thinking about your Clients:
* Take a bit of time to consider what it is that you will be offering your clients and what might make you the recruiter of choice. As a new entrant into the market you will need to think carefully - from the clients point of view - about why they might come to you.
* Set your pricing parameters up front and take care not to compromise on these in an early bid to do business since you will find it hard to recoup them later - unless you build this into a longer term contract
* What service guarantees do you propose to give your clients? Consider your position if your candidate leaves within 1 month, 3 months, 12 months. Consider different fee structures based on candidate aftercare and retention guarantees. Consider invoicing over the first 6 months post placement (it might hit your cash flow but could give you competitive advantage and keep your fees up)
* If you are negotiating a long term preferred supplier arrangement consider using a procurement professional
* Think about how you will prevent your clients from taking your people and not paying your fees (make sure terms and conditions are legally robust and clearly printed on the backs of your CVs)
5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person
Are you in the process of hiring employees? The following article gives you an overview of 5 of the most common interviewing mistakes that you need to avoid, so that you don't hire the wrong person.
5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person
Mistake #1: Going with the flow
Inexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer.
This can result in a candidate taking control of the interview and leading you where he or she wants to go, rather than where you can get the information you need.
Solution #1: Ask everyone the same questions.
Prepare a list in advance, based on the information you need, and use it as a guide throughout the interview. Put each question on a separate sheet of paper and prepare one set for each candidate.
As you move through the questions, use the appropriate sheets to make notes of the answers and your own observations and impressions. You can vary the follow up questions as necessary, but keep your notes on the main question page.
When you have followed this structure with all the candidates, you'll be able to compare them on an "apples to apples" basis.
Mistake #2: Asking predictable questions
Job applicants have many sources of help for interviewing, and it's easy to learn acceptable answers to the standard questions.
That means even the wrong candidate for your position could answer the questions in a way that fools you into thinking he or she is a fit.
Solution #2: Ask candidates questions that force them to expand on their answers, illustrating their thinking skills as well as their attitudes and job competencies.
Such questions might include:
* If you could design your own job, what would it look like?
* What's your favourite part of the work you do now? Why do you like that?
Ask questions like these and, instead of practised responses that tell you virtually nothing, you'll get insights into who these people really are.
Mistake #3: Whitewashing the job
If you have a candidate in front of you who seems like a great choice, you obviously want that person to accept your job offer.
Sometimes, though, you know the job has inherent challenges or downsides, and you may be afraid if you talk about these thing you will lose a good employee.
The trouble is, if you hire them and they discover the negatives themselves, you may well lose them in the first week!
Solution #3: Be candid about challenges in the job or within the company.
Watch for candidates who embrace and relish the challenges, and who can see beyond the negatives. These can become your most valued employees.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the question of "fit"
Every organization has a culture.
It comes from a blend of the industry you are in, the ages of those who work there, the size of the company, the number of people, the geographic location and many other factors.
But that culture creates its own work environment, and if employees are not comfortable with that environment or do not work well within it, they don't "fit". This person will never be an asset to your company, and may in fact leave very quickly.
Solution #4: Ask questions whose answers will demonstrate the candidate's personality and character, their attitudes towards the workplace.
An example of that type of question might be: Do you prefer a structured environment or a more loose, easy-going one? Why?
Mistake #5: Letting a candidate's one major positive blind you to the negatives
Sometimes a person might have one outstanding positive: worked for your major competitor, attended a university with a track record of successful graduates, or even just comes from your home town.
If you also instinctively like the individual, it is tempting to be overly influenced by this fact, and not pay enough attention to others that are not so attractive.
Solution #5: When recording your notes on each candidate (see solution to Mistake #1), be sure to record negatives as well as positives on the appropriate pages.
When you review your notes after the interview is over, you will be better able to balance the pros and cons impartially.
Candidates are often sophisticated job seekers, who are well prepared for the interview. To avoid costly hiring mistakes, hiring interviewers must be equally prepared for the process.
5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person
Mistake #1: Going with the flow
Inexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer.
This can result in a candidate taking control of the interview and leading you where he or she wants to go, rather than where you can get the information you need.
Solution #1: Ask everyone the same questions.
Prepare a list in advance, based on the information you need, and use it as a guide throughout the interview. Put each question on a separate sheet of paper and prepare one set for each candidate.
As you move through the questions, use the appropriate sheets to make notes of the answers and your own observations and impressions. You can vary the follow up questions as necessary, but keep your notes on the main question page.
When you have followed this structure with all the candidates, you'll be able to compare them on an "apples to apples" basis.
Mistake #2: Asking predictable questions
Job applicants have many sources of help for interviewing, and it's easy to learn acceptable answers to the standard questions.
That means even the wrong candidate for your position could answer the questions in a way that fools you into thinking he or she is a fit.
Solution #2: Ask candidates questions that force them to expand on their answers, illustrating their thinking skills as well as their attitudes and job competencies.
Such questions might include:
* If you could design your own job, what would it look like?
* What's your favourite part of the work you do now? Why do you like that?
Ask questions like these and, instead of practised responses that tell you virtually nothing, you'll get insights into who these people really are.
Mistake #3: Whitewashing the job
If you have a candidate in front of you who seems like a great choice, you obviously want that person to accept your job offer.
Sometimes, though, you know the job has inherent challenges or downsides, and you may be afraid if you talk about these thing you will lose a good employee.
The trouble is, if you hire them and they discover the negatives themselves, you may well lose them in the first week!
Solution #3: Be candid about challenges in the job or within the company.
Watch for candidates who embrace and relish the challenges, and who can see beyond the negatives. These can become your most valued employees.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the question of "fit"
Every organization has a culture.
It comes from a blend of the industry you are in, the ages of those who work there, the size of the company, the number of people, the geographic location and many other factors.
But that culture creates its own work environment, and if employees are not comfortable with that environment or do not work well within it, they don't "fit". This person will never be an asset to your company, and may in fact leave very quickly.
Solution #4: Ask questions whose answers will demonstrate the candidate's personality and character, their attitudes towards the workplace.
An example of that type of question might be: Do you prefer a structured environment or a more loose, easy-going one? Why?
Mistake #5: Letting a candidate's one major positive blind you to the negatives
Sometimes a person might have one outstanding positive: worked for your major competitor, attended a university with a track record of successful graduates, or even just comes from your home town.
If you also instinctively like the individual, it is tempting to be overly influenced by this fact, and not pay enough attention to others that are not so attractive.
Solution #5: When recording your notes on each candidate (see solution to Mistake #1), be sure to record negatives as well as positives on the appropriate pages.
When you review your notes after the interview is over, you will be better able to balance the pros and cons impartially.
Candidates are often sophisticated job seekers, who are well prepared for the interview. To avoid costly hiring mistakes, hiring interviewers must be equally prepared for the process.
Why Great Job Listings are Important for Recruiters (There's More to It Than You Think)
Struggling to find new and innovative ways to attract candidates in this competitive hiring market? The single most important tool for getting candidates to apply for your open position is the job listing. Optimize your use of job listings and you'll optimize your overall recruiting efforts.
Why Job Listings Are Important
According to a survey conducted by WetFeet, most job seekers think about their job search in terms of available positions, not potential employers. They use job listings to educate themselves about opportunities, and are quick to form judgments about an employer based on the language and tone of its listings. The way an employer describes specific employment opportunities can speak volumes about what a company is like.
What's more, a good job listing can get the attention of a candidate who's not actively looking for a job. Forty-seven percent of passive job seekers said they relied on job listings as a way of learning about opportunities. As one put it, "I'm really looking through them to get some perspective on what's out there, rather than reading them because I am explicitly applying for jobs right now. If I saw something really compelling, I might just apply, though."
Four Ways to Make Your Job Listings Compelling
* Focus on rewards: In general, job seekers are more interested in what the position offers them personally.whether that's intellectual challenge or serious earning potential.than they are in what the corporate mission or business strategy is. In the words of one job seeker, "When a [posting] extols how wonderful the company is over the job itself, I wonder a bit. I would rather see them tell you what kind of person they want, rather than 'This is why you should want to work here.'"
*Provide specific details about the position, and what the job seeker can expect in return. Savvy candidates will want to learn more about the company once they become interested in the position. Drive them back to your website to read about your corporate mission and business strategy rather than delivering it to them in the job listing itself.
* Keep it simple and straightforward: Buzzwords can illustrate that you're savvy about the latest jargon from the business press, but they generally don't help you differentiate your company in a job seeker's mind. As a result of overuse, buzzwords lose not only clout, but also credibility. Rather than telling candidates that you are a "dynamic, high-growth company at the forefront of technological advancement," tell them what your company actually does.
* Tell it like it is: Just as an employer can pick up on a candidate's use of inflated terms (like someone who used to make coffee describing himself as a "beverage production manager"), candidates are wary of job titles that seem inflated or euphemistic. In the words of one job seeker, "Any hyperbole would be a reasonable tip that this position is not the best thing since sliced bread."
* The description of the duties should match the title, and the title should be intuitive so that when a candidate searches for managerial positions, she is not confronted with a listing for a coffee maker.
* Post Top Jobs: Many employers don't use job postings as a means of filling high-level positions, but it is an excellent way for companies to show they offer challenging positions and growth opportunities. Highly qualified candidates do read job postings to gain a sense of available prospects, and this can be a cost-effective way to source some of those candidates.
*Even if the qualified applicant yield is low from such postings, it may help increase interest in and overall awareness of your company among candidates who are qualified for other positions.
Why Job Listings Are Important
According to a survey conducted by WetFeet, most job seekers think about their job search in terms of available positions, not potential employers. They use job listings to educate themselves about opportunities, and are quick to form judgments about an employer based on the language and tone of its listings. The way an employer describes specific employment opportunities can speak volumes about what a company is like.
What's more, a good job listing can get the attention of a candidate who's not actively looking for a job. Forty-seven percent of passive job seekers said they relied on job listings as a way of learning about opportunities. As one put it, "I'm really looking through them to get some perspective on what's out there, rather than reading them because I am explicitly applying for jobs right now. If I saw something really compelling, I might just apply, though."
Four Ways to Make Your Job Listings Compelling
* Focus on rewards: In general, job seekers are more interested in what the position offers them personally.whether that's intellectual challenge or serious earning potential.than they are in what the corporate mission or business strategy is. In the words of one job seeker, "When a [posting] extols how wonderful the company is over the job itself, I wonder a bit. I would rather see them tell you what kind of person they want, rather than 'This is why you should want to work here.'"
*Provide specific details about the position, and what the job seeker can expect in return. Savvy candidates will want to learn more about the company once they become interested in the position. Drive them back to your website to read about your corporate mission and business strategy rather than delivering it to them in the job listing itself.
* Keep it simple and straightforward: Buzzwords can illustrate that you're savvy about the latest jargon from the business press, but they generally don't help you differentiate your company in a job seeker's mind. As a result of overuse, buzzwords lose not only clout, but also credibility. Rather than telling candidates that you are a "dynamic, high-growth company at the forefront of technological advancement," tell them what your company actually does.
* Tell it like it is: Just as an employer can pick up on a candidate's use of inflated terms (like someone who used to make coffee describing himself as a "beverage production manager"), candidates are wary of job titles that seem inflated or euphemistic. In the words of one job seeker, "Any hyperbole would be a reasonable tip that this position is not the best thing since sliced bread."
* The description of the duties should match the title, and the title should be intuitive so that when a candidate searches for managerial positions, she is not confronted with a listing for a coffee maker.
* Post Top Jobs: Many employers don't use job postings as a means of filling high-level positions, but it is an excellent way for companies to show they offer challenging positions and growth opportunities. Highly qualified candidates do read job postings to gain a sense of available prospects, and this can be a cost-effective way to source some of those candidates.
*Even if the qualified applicant yield is low from such postings, it may help increase interest in and overall awareness of your company among candidates who are qualified for other positions.
Who are Recruiters and What Do They Do?
What does a Recruiter do?
We see ads in the newspapers from recruiters advertising every imaginable type of job. The Internet is packed full of positions listed there by employment firms, recruiters and companies with names of individuals with an inc. on the end. Exactly what do these people do?
A Recruiter is an individual hired to locate individuals with a very narrow list of qualifications. Companies pay recruiters wages. Companies have the option to hire recruiters in one of two ways--by paying them a certain amount up front to cover expenses and then the remainder when the position has been filled. Some of these types of arrangements cover a time span of up to one year to find the perfect person for a particular position. This is called a retained search. If you're working with a recruiter, you may ask them if the position you applied for is under a retained search or a contingency search.
The contingency search means the recruiter or recruiting firm has been solicited to locate an individual with a set number of specific criteria but will pay only if they hire a candidate sent by the recruiter for this position. Most recruiting firms work under a contingency basis. Knowing how this works-basically straight commission-you must then understand a recruiter needs to stick within strict confines of a description of an individual sought by a company in order to keep that company satisfied. The person hired also usually has to stay a certain number of days or months before the recruiter receives payment for his/her work. A recruiter may place a person into a position and never get paid if that person leaves before the guarantee period has elapsed. This places recruiters into a bad situation as they have probably paid fees for advertising, spent many hours pouring over resumes for the person with the perfect background, met with these individuals, scheduled and rescheduled interviews to find the perfect candidate has been offered another position with someone else who is paying more money than the company they represent is paying. That recruiter/recruitment firm will make nothing under these circumstances.
To make matters even more complicated, a recruiter may not be the only recruiter solicited to find an individual. A company utilizing the contingency basis for hiring and paying recruiters may have agreements with two or many recruiters for the same positions. This is a very stressful position to be in. A good recruiter will have a constant number of candidates coming through their offices and will also be working a steady flow of similar types of positions to keep monies coming in regularly. If a recruiter works only one or two jobs at a time, they could very well starve.
Recruiters make a lot of money if they're successful. They're not normally trainers. They seek individuals with a certain set of skills for a certain position. If you don't have that set of skills, your resume will be placed away until such a position becomes available. Why would anyone want to use a recruiter if it's so difficult? Recruiters know about positions before they're advertised. They have strong relationships with companies and are told about positions that never appear in any newspaper. You may visit a recruiter and not hear from them for a few weeks and then one day receive a phone call asking if you're interested in a new position. You may be the perfect fit for this position. Recruiters form alliances with other recruiters and network constantly with each other. They can do splits with each other when a position comes across their desks if they don't have a person who fits the description perfectly. Half a fee is better than 100% of a fee not received.
Recruiters are not trainers. They won't tell you how to change your resume to accommodate a particular position. We all have items left out of our resumes because we applied for a particular position that didn't require that skill set. Remember; take resumes for each type of position you qualify for when you get the opportunity to meet with a recruiter. Don't make them guess whether you qualify. Make more than one resume if you are interested in more than one type of position.
A recruiter doesn't have the luxury of spending hours with each candidate. They must get candidates in and out in order to get the right number of qualified candidates to satisfy a customer. When a recruiter doesn't send enough resumes to a company, they may go elsewhere for more resumes and the recruiter once again may be working for nothing. Don't take it personally when a recruiter doesn't call you immediately to interview when you send your resume. They're allowed to send x numbers of resumes for each position. The candidates have to have exactly the credentials listed and the recruiter normally doesn't stray from the formula in order to keep the hiring company happy.
The most important part of a recruiter's success is the ability to bring in a constant source of viable candidates. Even though the company who hired them pays a recruiter, they can't get paid without candidates to fill the positions. Use recruiters, they will help you if there is any way they can make you fit the criteria given for any position they're seeking to fill. A good recruiter will help you to change your resume to include information not there before which may be crucial to the position being filled.
Don't apply with every recruiter you see or hear of. If a company has hired more than one recruiter and they receive your resume from numerous recruiters, they may decide you're too desperate and pass on meeting you rather than have a fight between recruiters as to who gets paid their fee for placing you.
What does a recruiter do? A good recruiter will find you and make money helping you find your perfect position. They can only do this if they know you exist.
We see ads in the newspapers from recruiters advertising every imaginable type of job. The Internet is packed full of positions listed there by employment firms, recruiters and companies with names of individuals with an inc. on the end. Exactly what do these people do?
A Recruiter is an individual hired to locate individuals with a very narrow list of qualifications. Companies pay recruiters wages. Companies have the option to hire recruiters in one of two ways--by paying them a certain amount up front to cover expenses and then the remainder when the position has been filled. Some of these types of arrangements cover a time span of up to one year to find the perfect person for a particular position. This is called a retained search. If you're working with a recruiter, you may ask them if the position you applied for is under a retained search or a contingency search.
The contingency search means the recruiter or recruiting firm has been solicited to locate an individual with a set number of specific criteria but will pay only if they hire a candidate sent by the recruiter for this position. Most recruiting firms work under a contingency basis. Knowing how this works-basically straight commission-you must then understand a recruiter needs to stick within strict confines of a description of an individual sought by a company in order to keep that company satisfied. The person hired also usually has to stay a certain number of days or months before the recruiter receives payment for his/her work. A recruiter may place a person into a position and never get paid if that person leaves before the guarantee period has elapsed. This places recruiters into a bad situation as they have probably paid fees for advertising, spent many hours pouring over resumes for the person with the perfect background, met with these individuals, scheduled and rescheduled interviews to find the perfect candidate has been offered another position with someone else who is paying more money than the company they represent is paying. That recruiter/recruitment firm will make nothing under these circumstances.
To make matters even more complicated, a recruiter may not be the only recruiter solicited to find an individual. A company utilizing the contingency basis for hiring and paying recruiters may have agreements with two or many recruiters for the same positions. This is a very stressful position to be in. A good recruiter will have a constant number of candidates coming through their offices and will also be working a steady flow of similar types of positions to keep monies coming in regularly. If a recruiter works only one or two jobs at a time, they could very well starve.
Recruiters make a lot of money if they're successful. They're not normally trainers. They seek individuals with a certain set of skills for a certain position. If you don't have that set of skills, your resume will be placed away until such a position becomes available. Why would anyone want to use a recruiter if it's so difficult? Recruiters know about positions before they're advertised. They have strong relationships with companies and are told about positions that never appear in any newspaper. You may visit a recruiter and not hear from them for a few weeks and then one day receive a phone call asking if you're interested in a new position. You may be the perfect fit for this position. Recruiters form alliances with other recruiters and network constantly with each other. They can do splits with each other when a position comes across their desks if they don't have a person who fits the description perfectly. Half a fee is better than 100% of a fee not received.
Recruiters are not trainers. They won't tell you how to change your resume to accommodate a particular position. We all have items left out of our resumes because we applied for a particular position that didn't require that skill set. Remember; take resumes for each type of position you qualify for when you get the opportunity to meet with a recruiter. Don't make them guess whether you qualify. Make more than one resume if you are interested in more than one type of position.
A recruiter doesn't have the luxury of spending hours with each candidate. They must get candidates in and out in order to get the right number of qualified candidates to satisfy a customer. When a recruiter doesn't send enough resumes to a company, they may go elsewhere for more resumes and the recruiter once again may be working for nothing. Don't take it personally when a recruiter doesn't call you immediately to interview when you send your resume. They're allowed to send x numbers of resumes for each position. The candidates have to have exactly the credentials listed and the recruiter normally doesn't stray from the formula in order to keep the hiring company happy.
The most important part of a recruiter's success is the ability to bring in a constant source of viable candidates. Even though the company who hired them pays a recruiter, they can't get paid without candidates to fill the positions. Use recruiters, they will help you if there is any way they can make you fit the criteria given for any position they're seeking to fill. A good recruiter will help you to change your resume to include information not there before which may be crucial to the position being filled.
Don't apply with every recruiter you see or hear of. If a company has hired more than one recruiter and they receive your resume from numerous recruiters, they may decide you're too desperate and pass on meeting you rather than have a fight between recruiters as to who gets paid their fee for placing you.
What does a recruiter do? A good recruiter will find you and make money helping you find your perfect position. They can only do this if they know you exist.
Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions
1. Tell me about your career to date:
2. What made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx?:
3. Why did you apply for this job?:
4. How many other jobs have your applied for?
5. Why do you want to leave your current job?:
6. What do you like most about your current job?
7. What do you like least about your current job?
8. What gets you up in the morning and eager for work?
9. What frustrates you?
10. What would you describe as your 3 main strength
11. What would you say is your one main weakness?
12. If I were to ask your boss, colleagues, team members to describe you what would they say?
13. Give me examples of xyz that you have done
14. Give me an example of when you had to solve a difficult problem;
15. Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to do something they did not want to do;
16. Tell me about something that you have done to improve efficiency, reduce cost;
17. Tell me about a time you felt strongly about something but you boss would not support you;
18. Tell me about the worst decision you have made.
19. How would you go about finding out about your new job
20. Have you ever had to discipline or dismiss a subordinate
21. Tell me about the subordinate you have been most proud of, and why?
22. How do prioritize work; give me an example
23. Tell me about a time when you compromised on quality to meet a deadline
24. How do you cope with a sudden increase in work and short deadlines
25. When managing a project what in your experience are the three most important things, and why?
26. What is the biggest challenge you have had to face at work
27. Tell me about a time when you did not agree with something your colleague/your boss was
doing. What did you do
28. Looking back at your career to date what is your proudest achievement
29. What job would you want to be doing in 5, 10, 20 years
30. Why should I hire you?
2. What made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx?:
3. Why did you apply for this job?:
4. How many other jobs have your applied for?
5. Why do you want to leave your current job?:
6. What do you like most about your current job?
7. What do you like least about your current job?
8. What gets you up in the morning and eager for work?
9. What frustrates you?
10. What would you describe as your 3 main strength
11. What would you say is your one main weakness?
12. If I were to ask your boss, colleagues, team members to describe you what would they say?
13. Give me examples of xyz that you have done
14. Give me an example of when you had to solve a difficult problem;
15. Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to do something they did not want to do;
16. Tell me about something that you have done to improve efficiency, reduce cost;
17. Tell me about a time you felt strongly about something but you boss would not support you;
18. Tell me about the worst decision you have made.
19. How would you go about finding out about your new job
20. Have you ever had to discipline or dismiss a subordinate
21. Tell me about the subordinate you have been most proud of, and why?
22. How do prioritize work; give me an example
23. Tell me about a time when you compromised on quality to meet a deadline
24. How do you cope with a sudden increase in work and short deadlines
25. When managing a project what in your experience are the three most important things, and why?
26. What is the biggest challenge you have had to face at work
27. Tell me about a time when you did not agree with something your colleague/your boss was
doing. What did you do
28. Looking back at your career to date what is your proudest achievement
29. What job would you want to be doing in 5, 10, 20 years
30. Why should I hire you?
Acceptable Attire for an Interview
'What should I wear?' is a question we often ask ourselves and those around us. At social events or work events 'fitting in' means dressing the same (in terms of formality that is). Indeed most business events tell you want to wear (casual, business casual, formal etc). And it is never more so than at an interview.
With non work, and indeed, work dress becoming increasingly informal it can be hard to judge what to wear to an interview. But the advice remains unchanged - go formal.
There could possibly be some exceptions and if you know your genre really well, and the company then you can ‘do your own thing' but take care. Note also that even if you know someone who works there, just because people wear informal to work it does not mean they will not expect you to be formally dressed for interview as an external candidate.
There are some cultural variations but if you play safe and go formal you should get by. Generally, for example, the US is a bit more relaxed. Also women can 'get away' with pants suits in the US but they are unlikely to be penalized for a skirt. Thus the advice remains, play it safe and go formal.
Looking at this in more detail.
What to wear and what not to wear
* Even if you know that the company dress is casual, dress up for interviews anyway. It shows professionalism and respect, and more importantly, that you know how to dress for job interviews.
* Dress conservatively avoiding bright, flashy colors and patterns. Solid navy blue or medium to dark gray or black is usually best.
* Make sure you are comfortable in the clothing. Practice sitting and standing in it ideally with a mirror in front of you and try a sofa and a desk chair. Make sure you do not need to make "adjustments" when you sit or stand.
* Clean and iron all of your interview clothing and polish your shoes (or have it professionally done). If you have pets give yourself a really good ‘rub down' as you go out the door. A damp rubber glove is a good option.
* Keep jewellery to a minimum. If you ordinarily wear jewellery in your nose, tongue or eyebrows, remove all of it before interviews. Women should wear small, stud earrings, one in both ears and in the traditional place. Men should remove their earrings.
* Make sure you are clean: Scrub and cut/file your fingernails (or get a manicure), shower, brush your teeth, gargle with mouthwash, brush or comb your hair, and do all that other hygiene stuff your parents taught you.
* Avoid wearing strong perfume or cologne. It's best to have no odour at all!
* Empty your pockets of bulging and jingling items, such as coins and keys.
* Avoid smoking at an interview and do not carry cigarettes and lighters in your pockets (unseemly bulges).
* Carry your papers (copies of your CV, information on the company, other job applications details etc), a pen and notepad in a nice briefcase or portfolio, preferably one that is color coordinated with your clothing (such as a black or dark gray). This makes you look organized and professional. Keep it in your left hand so your right hand is ready for shaking.
Specific things for women
* Wear a skirt suit. Keep your blouse very simple and white or cream.
* Wear tights - take a spare in case you snag them getting to the interview.
* Wear low-heeled, conservative shoes that are color coordinated with your outfit. 1 ½ inch heeled, court shoes are ideal. Make sure your toes and heals are covered up.
* Style your hair tastefully or have it professionally done. If it's long, wear it up or back, so you're not constantly flipping it out of the way.
* Clear or no nail polish is best.
* Keep make up day time, and light. No bright colors, do not overdo the mascara.
* It's better to carry a briefcase or portfolio into an interview than a purse or handbag. Try to avoid carrying both - you look a mess and have to juggle to shake hands.
Specific things for men
* Wear a suit - dark blue or dark grey or black. Avoid patters and avoid brown or light colors. Wear a white, cotton, long-sleeve shirt (dress shirt in the US) with a conservative silk tie. Buttons on the sleeves unless you always wear cuff links.
* No tie clips and do not tuck your tie end into your shirt.
* Wear calf-length socks - black or navy depending on the colour of your suit.
* Wear low-heeled, black shoes. Laces are good. Tassels are bad
* Wear a belt unless your trousers do not have belt loops. Wear a plain black belt (matches your shoes) with a conservative buckle.
* Get a professional haircut or trim. If you have long hair, tie it back in a ponytail. But short, well-groomed hair is always the safest bet.
* Clean shave is the safest choice. If you have a beard or moustache, shave it off for interviews. If you just can't, at least make sure it's well-groomed. In some industries facial hair is not allowed, anticipate success and shave for the interview
* Go light on the rings (i.e. keep it to your wedding ring). Possibly class/team ring in the US.
* If this sort of outfit is totally alien to you make sure you wear it a little beforehand, even if just at home, to get comfortable.
With non work, and indeed, work dress becoming increasingly informal it can be hard to judge what to wear to an interview. But the advice remains unchanged - go formal.
There could possibly be some exceptions and if you know your genre really well, and the company then you can ‘do your own thing' but take care. Note also that even if you know someone who works there, just because people wear informal to work it does not mean they will not expect you to be formally dressed for interview as an external candidate.
There are some cultural variations but if you play safe and go formal you should get by. Generally, for example, the US is a bit more relaxed. Also women can 'get away' with pants suits in the US but they are unlikely to be penalized for a skirt. Thus the advice remains, play it safe and go formal.
Looking at this in more detail.
What to wear and what not to wear
* Even if you know that the company dress is casual, dress up for interviews anyway. It shows professionalism and respect, and more importantly, that you know how to dress for job interviews.
* Dress conservatively avoiding bright, flashy colors and patterns. Solid navy blue or medium to dark gray or black is usually best.
* Make sure you are comfortable in the clothing. Practice sitting and standing in it ideally with a mirror in front of you and try a sofa and a desk chair. Make sure you do not need to make "adjustments" when you sit or stand.
* Clean and iron all of your interview clothing and polish your shoes (or have it professionally done). If you have pets give yourself a really good ‘rub down' as you go out the door. A damp rubber glove is a good option.
* Keep jewellery to a minimum. If you ordinarily wear jewellery in your nose, tongue or eyebrows, remove all of it before interviews. Women should wear small, stud earrings, one in both ears and in the traditional place. Men should remove their earrings.
* Make sure you are clean: Scrub and cut/file your fingernails (or get a manicure), shower, brush your teeth, gargle with mouthwash, brush or comb your hair, and do all that other hygiene stuff your parents taught you.
* Avoid wearing strong perfume or cologne. It's best to have no odour at all!
* Empty your pockets of bulging and jingling items, such as coins and keys.
* Avoid smoking at an interview and do not carry cigarettes and lighters in your pockets (unseemly bulges).
* Carry your papers (copies of your CV, information on the company, other job applications details etc), a pen and notepad in a nice briefcase or portfolio, preferably one that is color coordinated with your clothing (such as a black or dark gray). This makes you look organized and professional. Keep it in your left hand so your right hand is ready for shaking.
Specific things for women
* Wear a skirt suit. Keep your blouse very simple and white or cream.
* Wear tights - take a spare in case you snag them getting to the interview.
* Wear low-heeled, conservative shoes that are color coordinated with your outfit. 1 ½ inch heeled, court shoes are ideal. Make sure your toes and heals are covered up.
* Style your hair tastefully or have it professionally done. If it's long, wear it up or back, so you're not constantly flipping it out of the way.
* Clear or no nail polish is best.
* Keep make up day time, and light. No bright colors, do not overdo the mascara.
* It's better to carry a briefcase or portfolio into an interview than a purse or handbag. Try to avoid carrying both - you look a mess and have to juggle to shake hands.
Specific things for men
* Wear a suit - dark blue or dark grey or black. Avoid patters and avoid brown or light colors. Wear a white, cotton, long-sleeve shirt (dress shirt in the US) with a conservative silk tie. Buttons on the sleeves unless you always wear cuff links.
* No tie clips and do not tuck your tie end into your shirt.
* Wear calf-length socks - black or navy depending on the colour of your suit.
* Wear low-heeled, black shoes. Laces are good. Tassels are bad
* Wear a belt unless your trousers do not have belt loops. Wear a plain black belt (matches your shoes) with a conservative buckle.
* Get a professional haircut or trim. If you have long hair, tie it back in a ponytail. But short, well-groomed hair is always the safest bet.
* Clean shave is the safest choice. If you have a beard or moustache, shave it off for interviews. If you just can't, at least make sure it's well-groomed. In some industries facial hair is not allowed, anticipate success and shave for the interview
* Go light on the rings (i.e. keep it to your wedding ring). Possibly class/team ring in the US.
* If this sort of outfit is totally alien to you make sure you wear it a little beforehand, even if just at home, to get comfortable.
Preparing for Questions Asked at Interview
Although it might sound strange practicing aloud is also useful – it sort of exercises the muscles. Get your partner or friends to ask you interview questions from time to time when you are doing something together. It will be good practice and might even be fun.
To give you a head start I have outlined some of the questions that might come your way. Make sure to listen to the question carefully, as many interviewers are very concerned that the candidate answers the question asked.
1. General Background
* Tell me about your career to date: this is an easy and obvious one. It is easy, however to get caught into a long rambling life history. Identify the key steps along the way drawing attention to those things that are relevant to the job or company that you are applying to. There are variations, what are the key steps that led you to where you are today; give me the highlights of your career which are relevant to this job…
* What made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx?: this should be an easy question – what made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx? The only comment would be to focus on the positive reasons and not the fact that other options were not available …
* Why did you apply for this job?: an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that you have done some research into the company. You should try to cover both halves of the question – why the particular job/job category and why their company in particular. Whilst you will be expected to have thought about their company and have some things about it and its job that have special appeal you will not have to say (unless it is true) that this is the only company for you.
* How many other jobs have your applied for?: if this is the only one say so but also explain that you are serious about a move. If you have been looking elsewhere this is also legitimate – but you should try to avoid the sense of being desperate or unhappy where you are
2. Motivational Questions
* Why do you want to leave your current job?: a crucial question. As an interviewer I never ceased to be surprised by what people said here and how they could get caught up in the ‘tale of woe’. Keep yourself professional at all times. Talk about enjoying your current role but looking for more challenge, a different location, something new. If you are leaving due to a significant issue think very carefully about how you explain it and do not get drawn into saying more than you intended. Be honest but not self indulgent.
* What do you like most about your current job?: What do you like least? What gets you up in the morning? What frustrates you? There is a whole series of this sort of question. The normal approach is to ask the positive and then the negative so think about both. The different versions are subtly different so shape your answer around the specific one asked. On the negative one make sure you have a follow up to how you ‘manage’ it and it does not get in the way of your effectiveness. For example ‘the thing I dislike the most is having to do routine paperwork’ [be ready with an example of what this is] and ‘so I have therefore got into the routine of doing it for the last 30 minutes every Friday evening just before going home, its my sort of permission to enjoy the weekend task!’
3. Questions about you
* You will rarely get through an interview without one of these.
* The normal type is ‘what would you describe as your 3 main strengths’ followed by ‘and one main weakness’. If I were to ask your boss, colleagues, team members to describe you what would they say?... Usually with this one it is good to volunteer a ‘soft’ negative. They would say xyz (all positive) and if they were moaning about me they would say that under x circumstances I can sometimes be x. You may as well beat them to the negative and it shows self awareness.
* My favourite is what do you like about yourself – 3 things. And one thing you would change.
* If someone asks it in a way that is unusual it is OK to say that you had not thought of it in that way before and to take a minute.
4. Capability questions
* These can be technical or professional – give me examples of xyz that you have done. Be prepared for these. Think about the key areas of the job and examples to demonstrate capability in each of them
* Best Interview Practice is to ask people to describe things they have done. So things like: give me an example of when you had to solve a difficult problem; tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to do something they did not want to do; tell me about something that you have done to improve efficiency, reduce cost; tell me about a time you felt strongly about something but you boss would not support you; tell me about the worst decision you have made.
* Don’t forget for the negative ones slip in something about learning from the experience, sorting it out in the end etc.
To give you a head start I have outlined some of the questions that might come your way. Make sure to listen to the question carefully, as many interviewers are very concerned that the candidate answers the question asked.
1. General Background
* Tell me about your career to date: this is an easy and obvious one. It is easy, however to get caught into a long rambling life history. Identify the key steps along the way drawing attention to those things that are relevant to the job or company that you are applying to. There are variations, what are the key steps that led you to where you are today; give me the highlights of your career which are relevant to this job…
* What made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx?: this should be an easy question – what made you decide that you wanted to be an xxx? The only comment would be to focus on the positive reasons and not the fact that other options were not available …
* Why did you apply for this job?: an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that you have done some research into the company. You should try to cover both halves of the question – why the particular job/job category and why their company in particular. Whilst you will be expected to have thought about their company and have some things about it and its job that have special appeal you will not have to say (unless it is true) that this is the only company for you.
* How many other jobs have your applied for?: if this is the only one say so but also explain that you are serious about a move. If you have been looking elsewhere this is also legitimate – but you should try to avoid the sense of being desperate or unhappy where you are
2. Motivational Questions
* Why do you want to leave your current job?: a crucial question. As an interviewer I never ceased to be surprised by what people said here and how they could get caught up in the ‘tale of woe’. Keep yourself professional at all times. Talk about enjoying your current role but looking for more challenge, a different location, something new. If you are leaving due to a significant issue think very carefully about how you explain it and do not get drawn into saying more than you intended. Be honest but not self indulgent.
* What do you like most about your current job?: What do you like least? What gets you up in the morning? What frustrates you? There is a whole series of this sort of question. The normal approach is to ask the positive and then the negative so think about both. The different versions are subtly different so shape your answer around the specific one asked. On the negative one make sure you have a follow up to how you ‘manage’ it and it does not get in the way of your effectiveness. For example ‘the thing I dislike the most is having to do routine paperwork’ [be ready with an example of what this is] and ‘so I have therefore got into the routine of doing it for the last 30 minutes every Friday evening just before going home, its my sort of permission to enjoy the weekend task!’
3. Questions about you
* You will rarely get through an interview without one of these.
* The normal type is ‘what would you describe as your 3 main strengths’ followed by ‘and one main weakness’. If I were to ask your boss, colleagues, team members to describe you what would they say?... Usually with this one it is good to volunteer a ‘soft’ negative. They would say xyz (all positive) and if they were moaning about me they would say that under x circumstances I can sometimes be x. You may as well beat them to the negative and it shows self awareness.
* My favourite is what do you like about yourself – 3 things. And one thing you would change.
* If someone asks it in a way that is unusual it is OK to say that you had not thought of it in that way before and to take a minute.
4. Capability questions
* These can be technical or professional – give me examples of xyz that you have done. Be prepared for these. Think about the key areas of the job and examples to demonstrate capability in each of them
* Best Interview Practice is to ask people to describe things they have done. So things like: give me an example of when you had to solve a difficult problem; tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to do something they did not want to do; tell me about something that you have done to improve efficiency, reduce cost; tell me about a time you felt strongly about something but you boss would not support you; tell me about the worst decision you have made.
* Don’t forget for the negative ones slip in something about learning from the experience, sorting it out in the end etc.
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