(OT) To those here at TBD who are "Managers"

[IndyMark]

Hi all-

 

Basically I need advice on hiring people. For quick background:

(1) I recently was promoted to "Manager" in a brand new division of our company. I will only report to one person and that is my boss / owner of the company. It is not like there will be three layers to the top.

(2) She has given me full control of the hiring process for my team, however, I have absolutely NEVER hired people on the scale I am being afforded the opportunity to with this new job. Yes I have hired a research assistant here and there or even an adminstrative assistant or two, but the scope of this hiring is new to me.

(3) I have ten weeks to assemble a staff of about 30-35 people. Again, my unit does NOT need to be up and running in 10 weeks, I just need to have my team hired by then.

(4) I am not "inheriting" anyone as this is a completely new division. I like the fact people will not be asked to interview for their own job. However, if I muck this up and hire a poor staff I literally cannot blame past personnel. It will be my kahuna's on the line.

 

Anyway, that is why I am asking those who are mangers the following:

 

(I) When you were in the hiring mode were there things you asked candidates, and looking back, it was not a good indicator of anything?

(II) Were there things you did not ask that you wish you did?

(III) What advice would you give me on the process from interviewing to reading reference statements to whatever.

(IV) Literally any and all advice is welcome as long as it is genuine.

 

By the way, I will be moving out of state with this so the whole moving the family, finding a house, school system, blah blah blah will probably make the 10 weeks feel like 2.5. Oh and it starts the first of next month.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Mark

[VABills]

Good luck.

 

Seriously sit with your HR crew and make sure you know all the legals on the hiring practice. What you can and can't say. Make sure you doument everything you interview and retain that documentation so someone cannot sue you for not hiring them for any reason other than not being qualified. this is very, very, very important. Keep track of categories of people interviewed as well. You have to at least talk to a certain percentage of each category (man/women), (white/minority) or you can get in trouble. You don't have to hire them unless qualified, just you have to keep documentation.

 

Now onto the hiring. Hire your senior staff first (leads) and have them help hire the rest. get HR involved, setting up job fair, at a central location. Find people that not only know the job, but have the personality that you can get along with especially your direct reports.

[mead107]

allways ask about family life . stay away from i know it alls .look for people that are flexable in there thinking . go with your gut feelings .

[#89]

Look at the experience and how long they stayed a prior jobs. You can't ask if married etc(I believe that has to be brought up by the applicant)

[IndyMark]

Thanks VABills, mead 107 and #89 all very helpful. My hiring binder is developing.

 

I especially like the continual consultation with HR and hiring the "senior staff" first and getting their input.

 

Thanks and keep it coming TBD'ers.

[Steven in MD]

When hiring so many people at once, you have little to no time to mentor or develop staff. I would make sure to look for people who have experience or are self-starters who have short learning curves. I find that you need to find people with some passion, which you can see at an interview. Ask questions about past projects they have worked on....if they just keep on talking about the project and using words like we did this or we shold have done that...bam you have your candidate.

 

The most important thing about hiring so many people at once is to make sure you do not hire them all at once, but rather stagger it out over a 2-3 month period.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Guest_Surfmeister_*]

Congrats! You are doing great. This will be an adventure for you and yours.

 

OK you’re going to be interviewing several people for the same position. Then you’ll make your choices. Make a table of the questions to ask the candidates for each position. Ask each candidate the same questions for the specific position. Have someone with you in the interviews to record all of the answers, and then type them into the table. That is a fair practice. Then once it is all documented you can rank the candidates based on their responses, your notes and your gut. If something doesn’t feel right skip that person.

 

You also need to list a set of qualifications for each position. Make sure the person meets or surpasses those quals. Also, when looking for someone to fill a position they may look good in their resume, but if they are not willing to communicate and you can’t get the info out of them they are useless. Look for the “Glue People”. These are people who don’t mind doing things outside of their job description. They help to glue the org together. If you are moving up you are most likely one of those people already. We all have jobs to do but no one needs a prima donna who won’t do things outside of their regular tasks. Look for past team players with a GREAT attitude. Having a team with a great attitude makes it easier to come to work in the morning.

 

Also, your HR department will advise you on the DOs and DON’Ts of what to ask.

 

Also, find out if your boss knows of anyone they want on the team. Sometimes jobs are snagged because someone owes someone a favor. Make sure your boss has a shot at this option. It’s a courtesy.

 

I have hired a lot of folks over the years and the above has worked for me. Sometimes ex-military are very good hires because they can bring discipline to the org. I have a couple ex Special Forces guys on my team and we get stuff done. Oh yeah … and don’t hire any tight ends named Lonnie.

 

I hope this helps ~

Surf, PMP

[stuckincincy]

Be sure to have a couple of cold bottles of water on the table. The interviewee is likely a bit nervous, let him or her wet the whistle. The (somewhat common) practice of drilling an interviewee to "see how they act under pressure" can result in crossing off someone with talent and ability in favor of someone that is very smooth and glib - you can end up hiring a GW or a TD...

[#89]

in our interviewing process they meet with a group of people in the department and we actually get to ask them ?'s like.

 

If you were the driver and this school wants this, this department wants this, this location is asking this. And you get to check out their logic and organizational skills. We have some very intelligent people who work here with no common sense.

[KD in CA]

Now onto the hiring.  Hire your senior staff first (leads) and have them help hire the rest.  get HR involved, setting up job fair, at a central location.  Find people that not only know the job, but have the personality that you can get along with especially your direct reports.

69584[/snapback]

 

Good advice here.

 

I'm sure you know how to evaluate the talent aspect based on prior experience, etc. But when it gets down to people, remember that you will need to work with them for 8 hours a day, and so will the rest of your team. Thus, avoid people who are too arrogant, wierd, shifty, smelly, etc. Use your instincts. If the first question they ask is "how much vacation time" or "how much sick time" show them to the door no matter what the resume says. You need smart, fun, hard workering people. The only thing worse than having a bad boss is having bad employees!

 

Congratulations and good luck!

[mcjeff215]

Be sure to have a couple of cold bottles of water on the table.  The interviewee is likely a bit nervous, let him or her wet the whistle. The (somewhat common) practice of drilling an interviewee to "see how they act under pressure" can result in crossing off someone with talent and ability in favor of someone that is very smooth and glib - you can end up hiring a GW or a TD...

69629[/snapback]

 

Yes yes yes yes yes. I can't stress this enough. Ensure that your candidate feels comfortable. Remember that it is their interview just as much as it is yours. You're both judging each other; you're looking at talent and your prospect is looking at the organization and his/her likely manager.

 

Offer beverages and breaks. If you're going to be allowing others to interview your candidate, perhaps yourself, and HR rep, and a SME from within the company, provide a schedule with 5 minute breaks between each meeting.

 

I've been on both sides. When I was doing a technical interview as the candidate a while back, I had a *team* of six people instruct me to write source code on a white board while they all watched. I pulled through and they made an offer, but I turned it down. Not my kind of atmosphere.

 

-Jeff

[PIZ]

I'm not sure what type of manager you are, but take it from me, DO NOT try to be a friend to the new employees. Be a hardass.

 

Don't ask yes/no questions. Ask questions where you have to get them to think, such as "Tell me a work situation where you had a conflict, and tell me how you resolved it." This will tell you there problem solving skills and may also tell you that they caused conflict.

[PromoTheRobot]

I used to manage airstaffs at radio stations. Mind you hiring air talent is a little different because you are hiring creative types. And I only hired one person at a time. But one thing I found useful is to check their driving records and credit histories. I found both are a useful window into who someone is.

 

Now our employees drove station vehicles, and our insurance coverage required we check the driving records of new hires. The credit histories were a bit of a stretch, but I have found that if someone drives like a maniac, or can't manage their personal finances, that usually means they can' be trusted to get the job done at work either.

 

If they can't manage their own lives, or follow the rules of the road, they probably won't manage themselves, or follow the rules on the job. It's not the only thing you look at, but I found it to be very telling. You simply can't go by just the interview. And references are nearly useless these days because most employers simply won't give them out of fear of lawsuits.

 

PTR

[IndyMark]

I cannot thank all of the above posters enough. Your responses were helpful, possible, and filled with insight.

 

Thanks. It is still overwhelming, but at least I feel knowledgeable and overwhelmed instead of dumb and overwhelmed.

[erynthered]

Good advice here.

 

You need smart, fun, hard workering people.  The only thing worse than having a bad boss is having bad employees!

 

Congratulations and good luck! 

69637[/snapback]

 

 

Workering?

 

 

 

[eSJayDee]

If possible develop a test which evaluates the talents/skills that are necessary for the job. For instance, when hiring a programmer for a financial mgmt company the test included hexadecimal arithmatic, a 'what's the biggest integer that can be stored in 2 bytes', a word problem 'a ounce of gold costs $X, you buy 100 ozs for Y & sell it for Z. A Euro is worth W. What's your profit/loss in Euros'. Failing that, get them to talk about related to what they'd be doing. Try to assess their attention to detail, problem solving abilities or whatever talent is necessary for that position.

I'd also say that if a candidate appears to lack a particular talent that you deem desirable or necessary, I'd discount them regardless of their other qualifications. (That might not be pertinent if you have the only say-so, but I've been part of a hiring team b4, have been overruled & I think everyone would later agree that it was a less than optimal hire.)

Good luck, sounds like quite an undertaking & I don't think it would be delegated to you unless they think you're very talented.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

I have hired over 300 people over the years.

 

Here's a little trick for you.

 

Anytime that I have had to hire a "senior" person or a "manager", as soon as they arrive for the interview, I take them out of the office and have them get in their car (with me in the passenger seat) and have them drive along a specific route for an hour - I interview them while they are driving. At the end of the interview, I give them $20 for gas and wear and tear on the car.

 

This serves the following purposes:

 

1. If they come to the interview immaculately dressed and organized, and the inside of their car looks like a pigsty, then their day-to-day existence in the office will be a pigsty and disorganized.

 

2. You will interview them while they are driving (multi-tasking). By them diverting their attention in order to drive, it will be harder for them to give measured responses to your questions, and you will get a lot more honest answers.

 

3. I have them drive down highways that are very busy or under construction. By putting them in a "pressure situation", you can see how they respond to these annoyances (just like what happens in a real office).

 

It's sneaky, but it works 99% of the time.

[gantrules]

Man, I'd tell you to stuff it in your hat Dallas.

 

What if I have two kids and my car is always a mess. Plus, I work out of it......

[BuffalOhio]

Hire the hottest chicks available. If you're going to go down if you screw up, you might as well go down with a smile on your face!!!!

 

Kidding - good luck. I don't envy you. Starting from scratch sounds awful scary!

[erynthered]

I have hired over 300 people over the years.

 

Here's a little trick for you.

 

Anytime that I have had to hire a "senior" person or a "manager", as soon as they arrive for the interview, I take them out of the office and have them get in their car (with me in the passenger seat) and have them drive along a specific route for an hour - I interview them while they are driving.  At the end of the interview, I give them $20 for gas and wear and tear on the car.

 

This serves the following purposes:

 

1. If they come to the interview immaculately dressed and organized, and the inside of their car looks like a pigsty, then their day-to-day existence in the office will be a pigsty and disorganized.

 

2. You will interview them while they are driving (multi-tasking). By them diverting their attention in order to drive, it will be harder for them to give measured responses to your questions, and you will get a lot more honest answers.

 

3. I have them drive down highways that are very busy or under construction. By putting them in a "pressure situation", you can see how they respond to these annoyances (just like what happens in a real office).

 

It's sneaky, but it works 99% of the time.

69707[/snapback]

 

 

 

There's so much wrong with this, I dont know where to start. Indy, don't take this advice. You could lose your job.

[todd]

In my opinion, your job as a manager is to put people in position to succeed. Your job is to make their job easier - not the other way around.

 

Not many people like interviewing. Not many people are good at it. Your job in the interview is to allow the person to convince you that they are good at what they do, qualified for the job, and you should hire them. Amazingly, some very talented people are not good at convincing people of this in an interview.

 

An easy way to get to the meat of what someone can do in an interview is to lead someone down a path to a point where they can articulate the information you want to know.

 

For example, instead of starting with a question like, "Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with a difficult person," you can start by asking them about the types of projects they worked on. When you know about a few projects, you can lead them to that question as you learn about their roles on the project.

 

It's kind of like trying to get a girl to go home with you. You don't ask them to come home and get nekkid immediately, you need to finesse it a bit more.

[IDBillzFan]

You have a lot of good advice here. In my previous life, I ran West Coast operations for a company and hired 17 from the ground up. I am very proud of the fact that in eight years, only one person ever quit. Here is what I would add, and in some cases reiterate:

 

(1) The suggestion that you hire senior people first is a great idea.

 

(2) Trust your instincts is another great suggestion. Don't get caught up in textbook questions like "Where do you see yourself in five years." Those questions are stupid and irrelevant. If your instincts say you like the person, EMBRACE your instincts and rely on their references to verify what you're feeling. NEVER underestimate your instincts. They got you the job. Let them get you a staff.

 

(3a) People don't do this enough, but it's crucial. Don't just find out if the person is right for the job. Find out if the job is right for the person. Explain to them in great detail exactly what the job entails...every nuance...right down to what their hours will be, their responsibilities, but ALSO how their responsibilities work in conjunction with everyone else's responsibilities...including yours. The most successful hires I've had were people who understood not just their role, but how their role plays into the big picture. This is crucial. Too many people take a job with SOME understanding of their role, but become less effective when they start working because they're adjusting to the corporate surprises they never expected.

 

(3b)If there's some dirty laundry...(say, your company doesn't always deliver product on time, but when they do, it's a great product)...let them know. If they see you're okay with it and can work around it, they won't start bitching when they start working for you, and when necessary, you can remind them; "Look, we discussed this when you first interviewed." In my experience, the new hires NEVER complained about anything because they heard about most of it during THEIR decision-making process.

 

(3c) Be honest from the very start about everything. If the pay isn't that great to begin with, let them know. If they only get one day for Christmas while other companies give four days, let them know. If it takes 90 days to get expense reports paid, let them know.

 

It's not just about hiring the right person. It's about hiring the right person and ensuring they can be successful as soon as possible without getting caught up with the stupid surprises that every company has.

 

Good luck. Feel free to PM if I can be of further help.

[Fezmid]

and credit histories.

 

You do know that you can't legally ask for someone's social security number until you offer the job, right? And that a candidate can refuse to give you the SNN and that you can't not offer a job based on that?

 

Of course, most people don't realize that they don't have to give the phone company or electric company their SSN either - but you don't. By law, the SSN is for tax purposes only, and a company has no reason to see it until they offer a job.

 

CW

[CircleTheWagons]

Mark,

 

I'm not sure what kind of skills you're looking for, but if they're skilled hires (i.e. software development or engineers) I would push back on the time frame - 10 weeks is too short.

 

My first step would be to build an "org chart" for your staff. It's unrealistic to think that you will be able to properly manage 30 immediate staff, my typical recommendation is no more that 6-10 direct employees (again depending on the skills required). If I was in your position, I would focus on hiring the team leaders first, probably a senior (works beside you) and 3 to 4 team leads.

 

Once you have your senior team of 4-5 hires, work together to build the rest of the team using the team leads to help with the interviews and fill out the positions. Having the leads when you're hiring the rest of the staff helps reinforce everyone's position on the team.

 

Prepare to find out at least one of your team leads won't cut it and keep looking for potential leads through the hiring process. You will probably find 2-3 guys you wish you hired with the team leads and they can help as your structure fills out.

 

Keep your management informed. Hiring 30 staff is high risk. so always keep your managers aware of the challenges and your proposed solutions.

 

Good luck.

[IndyMark]

Again, a lot of good advice from the above. While I cannot thank everyone enough I can thank you all collectively. Thank you!!!

 

The following were great and most appreciated:

(1)The offer to PM if needed

(2)Frame questions to avoid pat answers and get to their real skill set

(3) Hiring personalities versus skills; how to get the whole package or a more complete employee

(4) Candor at all times - highlight challenges of the position up front without overselling.

(5) How to conduct the interview (serve water, include a few key senior people) .

 

I have always thought reference letters were loaded or inaccurate so I am glad others concur.

 

Comfort level increasing - Pucker factor remaining the same.

 

I am still internally debating the "driving while interviewing" thing. That one is intriguing yet probably not with in my skill set. Not sure if I could pull that off - I would not be savvy enough to look in control. Maybe another time though, I like the concept of it.

[The Avenger]

After hiring dozens of people I think you've received some good advice from the folks here.

 

A few things I would emphasize/add:

 

1. Try looking for a good book on the hiring process. I've read a number of them and they are very helpful. Many even give you some types of questions to ask - very helpful because there are always some good ones you probably wouldn't have thought to ask. "Hiring Smart!" is a favority title of mine.

 

2. Pick the person, not the skill set. I'd much rather hire a good person (work ethic, ability to communicate and work well with others, overall experience) than a skilled person. A good smart person can always acquire the specific job knowledge/skills, but someone who has specific skills may never be able to learn work ethic, people skills, etc.

 

3. Ask questions to find out why a person is applying for a job and what they really want to do. Don't hire anyone who doesn't really want this job but rather needs the money, wants to get a foot in the door, etc. I manage software QA people and I never hore people who want the QA position so that they can eventually become software developers. If they don't want to do QA they won't be happy and it will become a problem. The best case scenario is that they'll do some work for you as they train to move to another group - not a good deal for you at all - by the time they're the employee they want to be they are somewhere else.

 

4. If at all possible, get opinions on candidates from others. When I interview someone I also have some of my staff interview the candidate as well. If you like the person but of your staff doesn't think the person is righ for the job you probably missed something - be glad others were able to catch something you missed.

[TigerJ]

So, GoBillsinDallas, how many times have you been involved in a car accident as the passenger?

[#89]

also remember that some people are NOT good with a computer yet have taken and passed great courses. Maybe a hands on project set up as a test.

[aussiew]

What does your company do? What does your new unit do? What industry is it in? What state will your unit be located in? What kinds of jobs will these new hires be doing?

[rockpile]

Question 1. Are you A Miami Dolphins fan?

 

Has to do with the team "chemistry"!

 

Good luck,I figure all these other folks gave you good advice, but this COULD break a tie.

[aussiew]

What does your company do? What does your new unit do? What industry is it in? What state will your unit be located in? What kinds of jobs will these new hires be doing?

 

I've hired many people in four different states. To give you advice, I'd need some answers to the questions above.

[cåblelady]

3. I have them drive down highways that are very busy or under construction. By putting them in a "pressure situation", you can see how they respond to these annoyances (just like what happens in a real office).

 

It's sneaky, but it works 99% of the time.

69707[/snapback]

 

You're mean.