Q: I recently started an HR administrative job. I also thought that since I am entry-level, I would be trained. A more experienced co-worker was out sick and I was asked to do some of her work in her absence. One thing was to interview someone for an entry-level job. We're a very small company so maybe the HR head thought I could do this since I was entry-level also. I was handed a short "do-not-ask" list and was told it would be fine.
I interviewed her in the coffee shop downstairs and it seemed more like talking to a friend. A middle-aged woman sat a table away and kept rolling her eyes and looking at me like I was stupid. I tried to ignore it, but I know she thought I was doing it all wrong. It's obvious to me now that I am not going to be trained, but I have to do something so I don't feel dumb.
A: The HR head may have allowed you to interview this entry-level candidate, since it was too late to cancel the interview and her interview didn't warrant the boss' time. When a person calls in sick, a department may have to improvise,
For a career in HR, you need to go beyond the courses you learned in school, if any. A senior-level human resource professional and author, Paul Falcone, has written 10 bestsellers in the human resource field to help teach and serve as reference books for all HR professionals. Many small companies cannot afford a highly experienced HR professional to lead their HR departments, and many cannot afford legal advice until they experience an employee lawsuit, but HR is the one department that can help or hurt the company the most.
After seeing the damage that inexperienced, insensitive or personality-challenged managers can cause a company, Falcone decided to remedy the problem by offering critical information that can save managers and HR staff from creating liability concerns.
The first bestseller to read is "96 Great Interview Questions to Ask Before You Hire." "Most operational managers don't get the most out of hiring," says Falcone. "You need to create a relationship in the first 5-10 minutes when job candidates are the most open and you can get the real person to come out in the conversation. The question "Tell me about the criteria you used in your job search and what attracted you to this company" establishes trust. Interviewing is a like playing a high-probability game; you're dealing with people and there is no guarantee what the interviewee will reveal.
The more strategic your questioning is, the higher the likelihood is to hire the right people. Job candidates can practice answers to such trite questions as "What are your greatest strengths and greatest weakness?" Far more useful questions are: "Tell me about your last performance appraisal? How were you graded in leadership, communication, and teamwork? How would you rate yourself (1-10) on using your company's software? Why did you choose that number and what do you need to do to be a 10? Why would this job build your resume? If you accept this job, how would you explain this to a perspective employer five years from now?"
Falcone says, "A good interview takes time, which many managers don't think they have, but if they don't spend time finding out who the real person behind the facade is before hiring, they will have to spend far more time in properly documenting problems and ultimately firing them."
"Approach the interview as if you're the person's coach and it's safe for them. Put others' needs ahead of your own and expect them to respond in kind. Both the interviewer and the job candidate need to trust each other before the company makes the job offer. Good talent is hard to come by, and wise HR professionals know candidates join companies and stay because of their bond with their boss."
Senior management should empower hiring managers to ask questions that reveal the true person — questions where the answers cannot be practiced and memorized. Companies often worry about asking personal questions, but you can ask personal interest questions without getting personal. Falcone says, "There is little value to behavioral questions when they stand alone, such as "Give me an example of what you dislike about your job. Behavioral questions are meaningful when they have follow-up queries that add context to the candidate's initial response. With deeper questions like these, the interviewer only has to ask one or two self-rating questions to help a person reveal his or her true thoughts and motivations."
As you advance in HR, "75 Ways for Managers to Hire, Develop, and Keep Great Employees" and "101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems" (Amazon number one best seller in labor and employment law) are the next critical reads. Managers need to be kind. You can't create angst or be defensive with employees because a lawsuit is their best revenge. Falcone says, "Don't avoid serious conversations; you must be kind in addition to being honest, even in disciplinary situations. You have to know how to protect yourself and the company, and that is by being a wonderful leader with high performance standards.
Email life and career coach [email protected] with your workplace questions and experiences. For more information, visit www.lindseyparkernovak.com and for past columns, see www.creators.com/read/At-Work-Lindsey-Novak.
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