Q. We are a well established high-tech product development company. We’ve received hundreds of applicants in response to our vice president of marketing position. Do you have some suggestions regarding how to choose the best candidate from several qualified applicants?
A. First it is imperative that you have a realistic job description that clearly defines the day-to-day responsibilities, required skills and experience. Be clear about who this person is and where they come from, and have created a “best-fit” profile.
You will need to determine if the best fit is someone who comes from your industry and has deep knowledge about your products and technology or from outside your industry who can bring a fresh perspective. What are your short-term and long-term goals for bringing this person on board? What problems are you trying to solve?
Make certain that the compensation package is market competitive for your area and will attract and retain the talent. Do not start the interview process until you have gone through this exercise and have received buy-in from all decision makers.
If all your applicants are equally qualified, you need to look beyond their qualifications and accomplishments and focus on their soft skills. It is a mistake to hire people based on skills and experience alone. I suggest conducting phone screens before you extend invitations for formal interviews. This will give you an opportunity to judge their communication skills and to get a feel for their personality.
Plan on scheduling 30 to 45 minutes for each conversation. This process is time consuming but is sure to eliminate unqualified applicants from the process.
Now you are ready to move onto formal interviews. I suggest paying extra attention to their soft skills, behavior, personality, appearance and especially their attitude. Here are some ideas to help you choose the best candidates for the position:
Behavior: The best candidates should arrive on time if not a little early to the interview. This shows that they value your time. During the interview they should be able to look you in the eye and not at their feet. Your best candidates will be able to answer all of your questions with confidence and provide detailed examples of their accomplishments and failures. Do not consider candidates who respond to your questions with a lot of “I don’t know” answers or exhibit restless behavior.
Personality: Hire a person who is confident but not over the top – this person should be easy to talk to and well understood. Best candidates should fit well into the rest of your company. Avoid candidates who are negative with their responses or speak negative about their previous employers. One bad apple can infect the whole company.
Appearance: They should be dressed and groomed in a professional manner. Even if the company’s environment is casual, you still want to see the candidate make an effort. If a candidate neglects to look after themselves then who is to say they will look after the best interest of the company.
Attitude: Positive attitudes go a long way in any job. Best candidates in this economy should be open and flexible to change and possess an attitude that embraces the opportunity to learn new skills and take on additional responsibilities. People who are capable of generating new ideas are the best. Remember there is no place for negative and self-defeating attitudes.
I encourage you to create a position where people can be successful and a work environment that will retain the best talent over time.
Research estimates that the cost to replace key members of your staff will cost you two to three times their annual base salary. This factor is based mainly on the loss of business you may experience and the time it takes to get a new hire up to speed – six to 12 months. This is not a good return on your investment.
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Jennifer Laxton is a senior partner with Executive Search Associates in Santa Rosa, www.esa.com. ESA is an executive search and consulting company. You can reach her at 707-525-1010 ext. 12 or jklaxton@esa.com. If you have questions with regards to your situation, send an e-mail to askjen@esa.com.
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