IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done (22 page)

How to Choose from Hundreds of Candidates

First of all, get help. Ads posted on job sites often generate hundreds of responses. Of course, many are completely mismatched to your posting, but someone has to weed through the electronic stack of files (many named “resume.docx”, of course) to glean the real candidates from the wannabees. Sophisticated résumé-scanning software (your HR department may already use this) can quickly scan hundreds of résumés for specific keywords. Your internal recruiters and headhunters should also be helping you narrow down the list so you don't feel overwhelmed.

Get help from HR—fast. For details, see the section
“Human Resources Department's Role”
earlier in the chapter on
page 66
. Some companies have résumé-screening software, special e-mail addresses, and third-party services to handle the first wave of responses. Give HR a list of specific requirements for the position you're looking for and a specific number of résumés you want to read: “I would like to see 30 résumés of qualified candidates—no more.” If you receive fewer than five qualified candidates in a hot market, then this is a problem that points to an issue with your advertising. Did you use the right terms? Did you post in the right places? For more details about advertising, see the section
“Advertising Options”
on
page 77
.

If you receive several hundred résumés, you don't have the time to give each one appropriate consideration. To narrow down the pile, select a few criteria. You may want to eliminate those résumés that don't have a cover letter, drop those that are outside your geographic area (especially if you don't plan on paying to relocate someone, or don't have a robust teleworking environment), or toss out those that show a history of job hopping.

How to Choose from 30 Qualified Candidates

Having narrowed the initial number of résumés from the hundreds down to 30, now you must use a different set of skills to move from 30 to 5. (These numbers are approximate; decide which numbers work for you.) Your goal is to narrow the number of résumés you are reading down to a manageable number of candidates you can interview in person. As discussed before, sometimes a phone interview is an ideal method for prescreening candidates.

While grateful for help from HR, you'll probably review their selections next. You may have 30 “qualified” choices but five to 10 can be eliminated right away. You may not have specified it to HR, for example, that the person can't be entry level or must have hands-on programming experience (not just classroom time). Whatever the reason, about one-third of your candidates will probably fall to the side.

That still leaves you with 20 qualified candidates. In a hot market, it's good to remember that many candidates could fit the bill. Give yourself some room when making this decision: you aren't trying to find the
perfect
candidate (there may be five perfect candidates or, more likely, there won't be any); you're trying to hire a person who fits your requirements and your team well.

Choose five candidates to talk to in person, but keep the remaining 15 on hand just in case the first round doesn't work out.

Should You Hire an Overqualified Candidate?

The two simple answers are:

•
Yes, because in a hot market (for employers) you'll get more for your money.

•
No, because in a hot market (for employees) they'll jump to another company as soon as they get an offer that matches their skill set better.

Ask your HR department and fellow managers what their take is on the short-term prospects for the hiring market.

Young managers (i.e., recently appointed managers, not youthful managers) should be very careful about hiring overly qualified candidates. These individuals are often more challenging to manage; that doesn't mean they're more difficult, it means they require special attention. They didn't acquire all these skills by accident; they're probably very aware of career paths, training programs, and openings in other departments—things an employee with less experience might not know or care about. Or they may also be fully aware that they're taking a job they're overqualified for and could easily turn into an attitude problem for you and everyone else. These are all management challenges that a new manager may not yet be ready to handle.

General Interview Guidelines

Some guidelines for conducting interviews include the following:

•
The candidate may be nervous (especially if he's interviewing for his first job or he's anxious to get back to his current job before his extended lunch hour is noticed). Try to make him feel comfortable with a few light comments (e.g., “I hate interviews, don't you?”) or by asking a few easy questions (e.g., “How are you? Did you have any difficulty finding the office?”).

•
After you get started, see if you can get the interview away from the question/answer format and into more of a conversation or discussion. Both you and the candidate will benefit from a more relaxed exchange of information. Not every person can relax in an interview, however, and other factors (such as the chemistry between the two of you) may influence the tone of the meeting. Don't overemphasize this aspect of the interview, especially for individuals whose interpersonal skills aren't as critical to their success on the job as, say, their technical skills.

•
Don't do all the talking! Many hiring managers spend a great deal of time talking, as opposed to listening. Don't tell the candidate too much about what you're looking for (at least not until you've heard what the candidate has to say). If you do, the smart interviewee will simply regurgitate what you say back to you. It's the candidates who should do all the talking, but they can't do so unless they are given a chance. You are there to evaluate them first; all your other responsibilities (such as presenting the position, representing the company, and so on) come second.

•
Avoid asking yes/no or other short-answer questions. You really want the interview to become a discussion. Use questions that force the candidate to give descriptive answers. Questions that start with “how” or “why” are great for this. Make them think on their feet.

•
Toward the end of the interview, always give the recruit a chance to ask her own questions. Most candidates are usually armed with a couple of standard questions for this opportunity. The smart candidate might ask you a question about something discussed in the interview to demonstrate that she was listening or is interested. Even smarter candidates will show that they've done their homework and ask you some questions based on researching your company.

•
Many interviews are now conducted with several people from the hiring company in the room at the same time. The advantages are obvious: while one person asks the question, the other people can evaluate the candidate's nonverbal responses; and multiple interviewers can not only think of more of the key questions to ask but they can later share different perspectives on the same person. It's also an incredible time-saver.

Prepare a List of Questions

Always prepare a list of questions that you can refer to during the conversation. You can, and should, ask both technical and nontechnical questions (performing a technical interview is discussed later in this chapter). The questions will depend on the position you are recruiting for. If you're recruiting for a project manager, for example, you might be more concerned about the candidate's leadership and management skills than you would be if you were interviewing a programmer. However, if you're involved in interviewing a programmer who reports to one of your project managers, you may not have the expertise to ask meaningful technical questions. Still, your interview in this situation can be just to evaluate the individual's background, professionalism, maturity, and personality.

Once prepared, ask the candidate what they think the key issues in their field are and how well they know them. Also ask them if they can provide a specific example that can confirm what they just said about themselves.

Nontechnical Questions

Some nontechnical questions that you can ask include:

•
“How was this position described to you?” (This is a great way to find out how the people the candidate met prior to you, such as the headhunter, hiring manager, and HR, view the position.)

•
“What were your responsibilities at your last job?”

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“Describe a crisis that you were involved in and how you dealt with it.”

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“Describe an assignment or role you really didn't like and why you didn't like it.”

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“Describe the pace and culture at your previous jobs and which ones were good and bad matches for you.”

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“What did you like/dislike at your last/current job?”

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“Tell me about the relationship you have with your current manager. Do you work well together? What would she say about you? Is she a good manager?” (Be careful not to tread into personal waters here. A person can be a great manager and a difficult person and vice versa, but for the purposes of this conversation, make sure to keep the conversation on a business level. If the candidate starts making personal comments, change the topic.)

•
“Which industry trade journals do you read?”

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“What do you know about this company?”

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“Did you go to our website? What did you think of it?” (Every candidate should go to a company's website before an interview. You are looking for their reactions to the site, not if they looked at it. If they did not look at it beforehand, that is a bad sign.)

•
“Why are you interested in this job or working for this organization?”

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“What doesn't your résumé tell me about you?”

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“What motivates you?”

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“What do you like, and not like, about working in IT?”

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“What do you want/expect to do on a daily basis at work?”

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“What do you like to do when you're not at work?”

You can also have them walk you through their job history. They can tell you why they took certain jobs, why they later left them, their accomplishments at each one, and what they took away from each job (regarding learned experiences).

Remember, you're listening to
how
they answer, as well as to
what
they answer. You may not agree with everything they say, but if they can convey their answers clearly, with confidence, and back them up with sound reasoning, it demonstrates a certain level of professionalism, maturity, communication skills, and analytic thinking. One technique is to look for people who are hungry (eager to learn and execute), humble (modest), and honest.

It's a good idea to have a set of questions that you ask all candidates. This allows you to have a common frame of reference. Also, take plenty of notes during the interview. After just a few candidates, you'll have difficulty remembering who is who. Good notes can come in very handy a few days later when you're trying to decide who to bring back for a second interview or when you're trying to explain to a recruiter why their candidate isn't qualified.

What Not to Ask

Court decisions and legislative statutes have placed some topics off limits in interviews: race, gender, marital status, age, handicap, sexual orientation, and religion, among others, are topics to be avoided. Not only should these items never be discussed in an interview or any other job-related discussion, you can't use them as factors in making decisions.

For example, if a petite woman applies to be a PC technician, you may doubt her ability to do the lifting of equipment that the job requires. However, you cannot dismiss her out of hand. What you
may
be able to do is say to her that “the job requires you to unpack, move, and lift PC equipment that weighs up to 25 pounds; are you able to perform these tasks?” Similarly, if the same small woman applies for an operations position in the computer room, you may be concerned about her ability to reach the tape cartridges stored on the top shelves. If she is otherwise qualified, the courts would probably tell you to hire her and to make “reasonable accommodation” such as investing in a step stool.
These are all very sensitive areas. Before asking any list of questions, consult with your HR or Legal department. You may be putting your company and yourself at risk of litigation
.

Some interviewers like to ask particularly tough questions and conduct interviews more aggressively. Sometimes this is for sound reasons (e.g., you want a sales rep who can handle all kinds of customers and prospects and difficult situations). Other times it could be because the hiring manager has a large ego and seeing others squirm reinforces his status (at least to himself). If candidates are wiping their forehead and saying “whew” when they finish an interview, you may want to ask what value you get from that interview style.

Who Else Should Interview a Candidate?

Allow others to interview the candidate, whether it's for technical reasons or to compare personalities and demeanor.

•
You can have your own peers interview the candidate.

•
You can ask individuals who are at peer level to the open position.

•
You may want to have your boss meet the recruit.

•
If the position requires interaction with other departments, they may want to have a representative involved in the interviewing process.

•
The HR department, if they haven't done the initial screening, will also be able to provide an alternative view.