Human Resources

How often have you been totally comfortable with a job applicant during the interview? So comfortable that the interview becomes an easy-going conversation? It has happened to me. And that can be a dangerous situation because you can start to ask questions that have no bearing on the performance of job the applicant is seeking. You are simply enjoying getting to know the individual. What is wrong with that? Plenty!

Laws are very specific about what you can and cannot ask in an employment interview. And some of the restrictions seem unreasonable, yet they are there to protect classes of applicants from various forms of discrimination.

Most of us know we can’t ask: “How old are you?” But as the interviewer and interviewee became more informal with each other you could easily ask what year the applicant graduated from college. But that is illegal, so don’t ask it that way. You may ask if the applicant is over 18, or, after employment, could the person provide proof of age.

It is also easy to slip into a conversation about families. You might share about your own kids or spouse, and then follow with a question about whether the applicant is married or has a permanent partner. The courts see these kinds of questions as exploring whether the applicant’s private life would lead to absenteeism or tardiness. A more formal question, which is a possible legal alternative, is to ask whether the applicant anticipates any absences from work on a regular basis and if so, to explain the circumstances.

Questions about physical attributes or disabilities are clearly understood by most interviewers as illegal. What is not illegal is to inquire about the capability of the applicant to perform tasks that are part of the job. You also may be required to provide reasonable accommodations for the applicant’s disability. Rather than ask about height, weight, family’s health, or the open-ended question: “Do you have any disabilities,” ask a job-relevant question like: “Will you be able to carry out in a safe manner all job assignments necessary for this position.” Be sure you have thoroughly described the job requirements first, including the physical ones.

While you might think a question about a person’s citizenship or country of birth is acceptable, it is illegal and can imply discrimination on the basis of national origin. So do not ask, “Are you a US citizen?” Instead ask something like “Are you authorized to work in the United States?

Questions about arrest records are somewhat arcane. You cannot ask if a person has been arrested, but can ask if an applicant has been convicted of a specific kind of crime. The question is legal if the crime is reasonably relevant to the job: embezzlement for a banking job, for example.

You cannot discriminate against someone for membership in the National Guard or other military unit. Questions relevant to training received in the military or to determine eligibility for veteran’s preference required by law are acceptable.

Do not ask what clubs or social organizations the applicant belongs to, or whether a person attends church. This is not relevant to the performance of the job. You may ask the applicant to list professional or trade groups the person considers relevant to the ability to perform the job. You may also ask if the person is available for work on Saturday or Sunday.

Questions about credit or garnishments, charge accounts, and homeownership are almost always irrelevant to job performance. For educational background, only consider clearly job related education. Never ask if the applicant has friends or relatives working for your company. It is not job-relevant. Asking for a maiden name, spouse’s name, or other questions is not relevant to job performance and could be used to discriminate.

A person may not be discriminated against for using or not using “lawful products” off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours. There are some exceptions, but you should avoid inquiries in these areas.

By the time you finish reading this list of no-nos, you may wonder what you can talk about in an interview. If you have prepared a job description, you have a good idea of what the requirements of the position are and thus what you need to learn about the applicant’s education, experience, skills and abilities. Remember that people are more often hired for their demonstrated technical skills and later fired for poor soft skills. So you need to concentrate on evaluating the applicant’s soft skills like problem solving, team work, etc.

Usually nothing happens if the applicant who is asked illegal questions is subsequently hired and treated fairly on the job. Trouble can arise, though, when such an applicant is rejected and can show that discrimination was involved in the hiring decision. And an applicant who is offered a job, but who experienced illegal questions can conclude that the workplace harbors discriminatory practices. The person may not accept the offer and bring legal action.

So here’s a suggestion. Just do not ask any illegal questions. Conduct your interviews using a pre-defined list of legal, job-relevant questions and take notes during or immediately after the interview. Then refer to your question-note-sheet for each applicant when making a final decision.

This article is based on an interesting website that you may wish to consult. Go to www.jobinterviewquestions.org to see the kinds of questions you can and cannot ask. The site also includes questions a jobseeker can ask. As an employer, you should be ready to answer these honestly and accurately. Hire smart and slow, not foolishly and fast.

Right now you may be using overtime to add needed work hours. But the time will come when growth dictates the need to add an employee or two. With the unemployment rate predicted to stay high for a considerable time in the future, you may be inundated with applicants making it difficult to choose the best one.

Jim Blasingame wrote in August 2002 that the answer to the question, “What areas do small business owners most need to work on?” is a tie between marketing and human resources. My experience confirms his statement. Let’s just consider the latter one.

The hiring decision for small businesses is often made in haste, with too little serious analyses of the needs of the job (properly written job description) and the fit of a candidate to the job. Big businesses, writes Blasingame, have long had seriously sophisticated hiring protocols. They can afford the expense and time to thoroughly check out an applicant. And they have lots of depth on the bench and can suffer a hiring mistake without too much problem.

But small businesses that are always short on capital cannot afford to make hiring mistakes, yet the hiring decision is often made on a “gut feel.” Not a good way to run a business where adding another employee may represent an increase of 10 to 20 percent in your headcount.

There are, however, simple low-cost tools you can use that can help you make your hiring decision more successful. Here are a few ideas to consider.

First, take the time to do an accurate, thoughtful job description. Begin with a title, and then write two sentences on why the job exists. Next record the reporting relationships for this job: upward, downward, and peer-to-peer in your business, as well as any external relationships required. Now the real work begins. Decide what the incumbent’s authority really is. What can the person decide for him or herself? Can the person hire, fire, price, sign checks, etc. After this you need to get specific about the person’s responsibilities and principal duties. Begin each statement with “Is responsible for…” For duties include a detailed list of specific primary and secondary duties, usually beginning each one with a verb. The job description next must contain requirements for the position such as prior jobs, past work history, education, software skills, etc. You also need to include the physical activities and requirements of the position (e.g. driver’s license, etc.) if applicable.

Finally the job description contains the criteria to be used to measure job performance. Determine what specific goals or targets will define the success of the incumbent in the job. Not only is this part important for an applicant to understand, but it serves as the basis for a performance review of an employee. Although more detail will be required in a formal review process.

With a properly constructed job description, you are well-equipped to sift through applicants quickly and identify those whose resumes indicate a potential fit. Using online job posting will generate a ton of applicants these days. The problem then is how to winnow down the number to a manageable group you can process. There are now software approaches to doing this even small business can afford use. In addition, there are software based employment assistance services such as New Hire http://www.new-hire.com that will take over much of the administrative aspect of finding and sifting through applicants for a very reasonable fee. Not the 30% often associated with search firms.

Once you have an applicant pool, the next idea to consider is how to pick the best fit. The resume, job description, and screening interview will help you match an applicant’s education and training, and skills and experience to the job requirements. Now you have reduced the flood to a small pool of candidates.

But there remains an important aspect of the candidates’ overall fit with the job that it is difficult to clearly measure in interviews. This is the person’s behavior and emotions. In other words, how does the person’s observable behavior fit the behavior that the job requires? Different jobs have different behavior requirements. A customer service rep will need to exhibit consistent behaviors that are very different from a machine operator or a research scientist. Behavior styles are an integral part of who a person is. Much of our behavior comes from nature (inherent) and much from nurture (our upbringing.)

There are well-researched tool that you can rely on to assess a person’s behavior. The same tools are used to define the behavior a job requires (easy to do once a job description has been written.) When a person’s behavior fits the job well, the person will be relaxed and comfortable in that position, given that he or she possesses the other attributes needed for the job. If the person’s behavior style is significantly different from the behavior style the job requires, the person may be able to adapt to the job style for a period of time. But this will be a stressful experience for the person and under pressure may cause the person to revert to his or her “natural” style with unintended consequences in job performance.

Tools for assessing behavior are also available and are relatively inexpensive. Target Training International, Ltd. www.ttiltd.com is one source that offers behavioral assessments as well as other assessment tools useful in the hiring process. The common name for these assessments is DISC. A search online will reveal a number of sources for this kind of hiring help.

To wrap it up, there is no excuse for a small business to forego a proper hiring process for lack of time or money. The payoff for a good hire is high and the cost of a bad hire in a small business can be catastrophic. You certainly can begin by creating job descriptions for all your current positions. Ask the incumbents to help with the job description details. This can be an eye-opening experience for a leader. Once they are done, you are ready to start a smart hiring process whenever it’s needed.

According to Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, when most employees agree with eleven statements about their work, the company has a strong workplace. The statements are contained in the first pages of their 1999 book, First, Break all the Rules. Although written before the dot.com bust and the 2008 recession, the statements still make a lot of sense—enough for you to pay attention to them now.

As your organization recovers from the recession and you begin to rehire, give some thought to the principles in these statements and make your team even stronger. Would your employees say they agree with them? If so, then you will enjoy better productivity, profitability, retention levels, and customer ratings.

Here are the statements:
1. I know what is expected of me at work.
Comment: Written job descriptions covering responsibilities and authority along with a definition of satisfactory performance are a good first step.
2. I have the equipment and material I need to do my work right.
Comment: Ask them, because sometimes an inexpensive tool can significantly reduce cost.
3. At work I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
Comment: Not every task falls into this category, but avoid putting square pegs in round holes.
4. In the last seven days I have received recognition or praise for good work.
Comment: If you have the first 3 statements covered, then there will be opportunity to give honest praise. Never “fake” it.
5. My supervisor or someone at work seems to care about me as a person.
Comment: Perception is reality. Be alert to what employees tell you about themselves and follow up with them if appropriate.
6. Someone at work encourages my development.
Comment: Are you growing the skills within your team? Find opportunities to give career growth education to deserving employees.
7. At work my opinions seem to count.
Comment: Listen with sincerity and understand what your team members are saying, even if you disagree or if the idea is impractical.
8. The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my work is important.
Comment: First: is your mission communicated clearly and repeatedly? Second: does it express the reason you exist and does it show that your business meets a true need?
9. My co-workers are committed to doing quality work.
Comment: Correct hiring mistakes promptly and use assessment tools to be sure you bring in people who fit your company culture and values.
10. I have a best friend at work.
Comment: Maybe this seems unimportant or silly, but imagine if you were isolated from everyone else at work. People are social animals and need each other. Create an environment where team members can build friendships.
11. In the last six months I have talked to someone about my progress.
Comment: If you write job descriptions, then you owe it to your employees to evaluate them and to talk with them about their future in the company.

Use these statements for a little self-analysis. How are you doing as a leader? While you may disagree with the importance of some of the statements, they describe a good work environment. If you are deficient in one or two of these, make it a point to work on them. But be subtle; big changes in the boss’s behavior can be unsettling to team members.

These statements describe many of the things that, according to Buckingham and Coffman, the world’s greatest managers do differently. It is worth considering how to make them a part of your workplace.

Making a hiring mistake (or joining the wrong company culture) can be devastatingly expensive whether you are the employer or employee. It is commonly said that we hire people for their technical skills, but we fire them for their soft skills.

What are soft skills? They are usually the intangible personal assets that set apart the good from the best employees in most businesses today. Briefly they are described as interpersonal skills, oral communications ability, teamwork capability, and problem-solving skills.

These skills are important because organizations are much less hierarchical than they used to be. Organization structures are flatter and more fluid. Project teams are common, group think counts more, leaders accept input more readily, and younger people have been raised in an environment that sought their opinions on everything. Soft skills are the lubrication within the organization that keeps the team functioning smoothly.

Most interviewers have no problem determining the technical skills of an applicant. Perhaps they use an assessment tool to test knowledge or they may pose a serious of technical questions to determine the competence of the interviewee in a specific discipline. Generally this approach works well in differentiating one candidate from another along technical competence lines.

But assessing soft skills is not so simple. First, the interviewer needs to realize that the impression the candidate gives in the interview probably represents the best you will get with that individual. The person is absolutely putting his or her best foot forward. If that is not the case, the applicant is pretty naïve. So you cannot rely on some overall impression gained while assessing technical skills to provide a good picture of soft skills, too.

Questioning for soft skills means exploring the candidate’s capabilities along different lines. And it is important to establish a comfort level with the applicant before delving into soft skills questions. Nor should it be a surprise to the applicant. It calls for a smooth segue into a new part of the interview. Perhaps you can conclude the technical skills discussion with a comment reflecting on his or her competence and express interest in learning more about how the applicant worked within previous business situations.

This opens the door to soft skills questions that by their nature are a little more probing. In fact as you ask each question, the response should give rise to another question in your mind that will allow you to drill down a bit further. (Note that these comments are written from the viewpoint of the interviewer, but if you are an interviewee you should prepare your answers to these kinds of questions.)

Here are some questions to consider. These are just a few from a long list prepared by Patricia Frame on Strategies from Human Resources available on the Internet.

To assess interpersonal skills ask: “Describe how you developed relationships with others when you were new on your current/most recent job?” or “Give me an example of how you handled a very tense situation at work.”

For an understanding of the person’s oral communication capability ask: “What types of experience have you had dealing with irate customers or clients?” or “Tell me about a time when you ‘put your foot in your mouth’ and what happened.” or “What has been your experience dealing with the poor performance of subordinates.”

For a picture of the applicant’s teamwork ability ask: “Tell me when you think it is important for a manager to use a participative style and involve work unit members in making decisions.” or “Give me an example of a situation in which you managed or led a team and were able to create a high morale, high productivity work group.” or “Tell me about a time you had difficulty getting others to work together on a critical problem and how you handled it.” or “Describe a really difficult person you worked with and how you handled working with that person.”

To assess problem-solving experience say: “Describe a time when you were able to reverse a very negative situation at work.” or “Give me an example of a problem you have faced and how you solved it.” or “Describe a situation in which you had to solve a problem without having all the information you needed—what did you do and what happened?”

In addition to using directed questioning to assess soft skills, behavioral skills can be quite accurately determined using commonly available assessment tools such as the DISC Behavior profile. This assessment can tell you the individual’s natural (unaffected) behaviors and also the behaviors the individual believes the job requires. If the two profiles differ significantly, the person may be easily stressed at work and revert to the natural behavior, which may be unacceptable in the job.

Do you reject an applicant with strong technical skills but weak soft skills? Perhaps you should the culture within your work environment depends upon satisfactory answers to questions like the ones above. Sometimes it’s easier to bring weaker technical skills up to acceptable standards than to improve soft skills. While there is no hard answer to this question, simply add these two facts together: it can easily cost 3-5 times a person’s annual salary to replace the person, and technical skills training is more readily available and results are more measureable. More often the choice should be the person who can “fit in” rather than the “loner” who is super-technically qualified. In making the choice realize that you can improve technical skills through additional training a lot less expensively than the costs of replacing a hiring mistake.