See #3 in yesterday’s post.
Other stuff:
My Pet Peeves in the Hiring Process
Interviewers that don’t call on time
When you schedule an interview with me, I have to arrange my schedule accordingly. My kids stay in after-care at school, costing me money when I can least afford it. My wife takes the dogs out of the house so barking won’t interrupt us. I am unable to take interviews from companies that may actually CARE about hiring me because I freed my morning to speak with YOU.
Companies that try to determine “fit” by first making sure my salary is in their target range.
No, no, no, no, no, that is NOT how to make a decision about a new hire. If you do that first, you are a bureaucrat, not an effective manager of resources. I’ve been on your side of the desk and had a salary budget to manage, so I understand your pressures. But, hiring someone to work for you is more than just a single-point decision, and salary expectations are the absolute worst way to evaluate a job candidate. Frankly, it’s the lazy-man’s approach.
This is the person you will count on to accomplish the company’s goals and YOUR goals. This is the person who will make you look good or bad, make you look like the greatest manager in the world or the sorriest evaluator of talent around. When trying to determine “fit”, stick to Competence & Character. Once you’ve got the right person there, only then move on to Compensation.
Chances are that you’re almost never so far apart that you can’t find a bridge somehow. If your company has any sort of rational salary structure that compares competitively in the regional market, and the resume indicates the appropriate level of experience required for the position, you’re going to be in the same ballpark.
As a hiring manager, if I can find someone that is a full order of magnitude better than the rest of the field, I’d gladly find a way to pay another 10%+ to hire them. Alternatively, I’ve found absolute gems of employees that I was able to get at a substantial discount to their market value because I didn’t force them to name their price up-front. Instead, I assumed from their background that salary might be problematic and approached the interview from the perspective of a “recruiter” rather then Moses on the mount. I sold them on the company, myself, and their future prospects. All of those things matter to employees (and take on even greater importance as you are hiring at higher-levels in your company), and will be factors in your indo88 if you’ve done a good job in the hiring process.
Companies that slow-roll the interview process
“Hey, I am really excited about this job! The company sounds great, and you sure seem to want me, too! Oh, you can’t get the people together for the interview any sooner than month? Ok, I can be flexible…”
[Ring, ring]
“Hello? Can I intrview for [perfect job] tomorrow? Why, yes I can!”
Yeah, you’re taking a risk. Just be sure you understand that your lack of urgency does not mean I suspend my job search. If I need to interview with 5 people, and you can’t get all 5 people together at once for another 3 weeks, then is it truly necessary that all 5 interviews be face-to-face? Could 4 people do the face-to-face on Thursday, and the 5th interview by phone? Is the potential hire willing to make multiple trips over the next 8 days instead of a single trip 18 days from now?
The real world requires flexibility. You expect it from your employees, so how about demonstrating it once in a while?