Welcome to the February 14, 2007 issue of The Total View

Published by Success Performance Solutions, Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Visit our Human Resources Blog and Perfect Labor Storm Blog where we can post daily (and more often) human resource updates, news, and Perfect Labor Storm facts. 

What's Inside:

"Choose the Best Employee Assessment Test and Put the RIGHT Person In the Job" Audioconference.

Click here to order the CD or transcript or call 800.803.4303 for information.

1.   Motor-Mouth Managers Miss The Mark On Interviews - Part 3 of 3

To re-read Part 1, click here.   To re-read Part 2, click here.

For the last two issues I've been writing how ineffective the interview is in hiring the right employees the first time. To be fair, the interview can be effective when hiring managers have the training and the skills needed. But even a good behavioral interviewer can only uncover so much information assuming the candidate is a good interviewee and not over-spinning the truth.

But even I was shocked earlier this month when I attended a human resource association meeting. The presenter asked for a show of hands to "how many people use behavioral interviewing as part of their hiring system?" Nearly everyone in the audience of nearly 100 professionals raised their hands. She followed with this question: "Can anyone give an example of how behavioral interviewing improved their hiring process?"
Not a hand went up. Zero. None. Nada.

Based on studies assessing the predictability of common hiring tools, the interview is only 52 percent effective. What this means is that for every hire a company makes using the interview alone, it will take nearly two new hires to find one right employee who can do the job.

The cost of this ineffectiveness is huge. For every $10,000 a company spends on hiring using the interview, it costs them over $19,000 before they find the right employee.

Where does this leave a hiring manager? First, it is imperative that managers become better interviewers. Below I have included five steps to help improve interviewing success. But even under the best of circumstances, the interview lacks predictability. Businesses demand better in today's competitive job and economic markets.

The solution is job matching. Job matching, a combination of a behavioral interview combined with appropriate behavioral, personality and ability testing increases the odds of hiring success to a whopping 87 percent. In terms of dollars invested in hiring the right employee, job matching saves more than 40 percent compared to the interview. For every $10,000 the cost to hire using job matching is under $12,000. (Remember the cost to hire using the interview alone was over $19,000.)

Now first things first. Let's start by improving the interview.
To learn more job matching, join us on February 28 for our 11 AM webinar. Details are below.

By using the following five interview steps, you will start putting the odds in your favor at getting what you need to know about a candidate at the interview.

1. Ask only interview questions that are job related. Identify a maximum of three to five non-negotiable competencies or skills the candidate must have to perform the job.

2. For each competency or skill, write three or four behavioral interview questions for each skill or competency. Additional competencies may be added and asked only if the candidate satisfactorily responds to these "non-negotiable skill" questions.

3. Use open-ended questions whenever possible. Examples
a. Describe for me.....
b. How would you....
c. Why did.......
d. Offer another example.....
e. If you had to .....

4. During the interview, limit your talking to no more than 20 percent of the interview time. Eighty percent of the time should be spent observing and listening. The purpose of the interview is to explore the fit of the candidate to the job, team and company culture. Selling the candidate on your company (assuming you want him/her) comes at follow-up interviews or after the job offer.

5. Allow time for candidates to ask questions. Listen to the questions that are asked. Do they indicate the candidate has researched the company and understands the job or is the candidate focused on salary and benefits and vacation days?
Observe if the candidate appears confident or reluctant in asking the question. Having no questions to ask can also be a red-flag indicating lack of interest, low curiosity, or lack of preparedness.

More about behavioral interviewing

Email your interview "war stories": comments made by managers that forced your jaw to drop, questions asked that made you cringe.  

2.  Perfect Labor Storm Alerts # 617 to 618

Fact #617:  The looming shortage of skilled workers is keeping most execs awake at night. A study released earlier this year (2006) by International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM) reports that 77% of their HR respondents cite talent management initiatives as a top priority for the next three years. A lot of focus is on training current staff for new roles, rather than hiring for new skills. Another interesting finding: a majority of respondents are searching for performance management tools. This is a great budget to include in your revenue streams.

Fact #618:  According to a study by Right Management Consultants, 77% of organizations do not have effective replacements for current senior management.

Don't miss day-to-day updates on Perfect Labor Storm.
Save the Perfect Labor Storm blog to your favorites.

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - Only $7.95.

3.  JobClues Pre-Employment Testing Gets Rave Reviews

I've been touting the success of JobClues for several months. Last week the publisher of HR Cafe, a blog for HR executives, shared his experience with JobCLues:

"A few months ago I took the Job Clues assessment and found my results fascinating. Job Clues tests you for things like personality traits, cognitive abilities, attitudes and team orientation. It told me some things I did know about myself, but some things I didn't......When reading your results, I think you'll find they're uncannily accurate, and you'll see how predictive this stuff can be when you're hiring people or considering an employee for promotion."

To learn more about JobClues or to take a JobClues test drive, click here.

4.  Downloadable Skillbuilder Series: Part 5 - Observe

A successful selection interview is not a matter of luck or even effective conversation skills. Neither is it an opportunity to look for personal empathy with the candidate or to guess whether their qualifications or experience mean that they will be able to do a certain job. A typical interview is short, but we will look at a rigorous and structured process, in six phases:

Part 1: Prepare
Part 2: Evaluate
Part 3: Question
Part 4: Listen
Part 5: Observe
Part 6: Decide

In this issue of the TotalView, you can download the section on "Observe" for the interview. If you missed the previous phases published in prior newsletters, click here or call 800.803.4303.

Like what you see? Order Skillbuilders Interview/Selection in print or downloadable pdf format for all your managers. Call for pricing and information about our our unlimited use license at 800.803.4303.

5. Free Mini-Course: Building the Best Hiring Tool Kit

February 28, 2007 - 11 AM EST

Pre-employment assessment tests have been around for ages.
Some are pinpoint accurate and will help you make smart hiring decisions. Others deliver only a surface-level look at a candidates personality traits ... and little else.

Attend this 60-minute web-event on to learn about how good employee assessments work and how to make sure you are using the right ones.

Click here to register for this mini-course or call 800-803-4303.

Registration is limited to 10 participants. Don't delay - register now !

6.   Customer Service Excellence Starts Here

Customer Service Skills Profile
This easy-to-use assessment solves one of your biggest headaches in customer service - ensuring consistency in your staff's performance.
How? By giving employee a clear picture of their unique strengths and areas they need to work on - and the motivation to acquire all the skills of an all-around good customer service giver.
Employees can rate themselves in seven competency areas widely considered to be critical to the ability to provide exemplary service.

- Customer Service Commitment Profile

- Learning Points: 100 Activities and Actions for Customer Service Excellence

- 50 Activities for Achieving Excellent Customer Service

- Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Click here to learn more about Customer Service Skills Excellence.

7.   Quotes from Hire Authorities

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."
David Brinkley

Ira S. Wolfe Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission