Involving Supervisors in Interviews

Sometimes candidates give answers like the ones above.  Seriously, I’ve heard some AMAZING answers to the question of where they see themselves in five years.  I’ve also seen some supervisors eat it up and insist upon hiring the individual who gave that answer.

So how do you prep your supervisors for an interview and ensure they’re going to be productive and give a valid opinion?

You need to give them some sort of direction.  If you can give them a list of questions you want answered or information you need gleaned and you trust them, you can let them interview the individual by themselves.  I personally don’t like this approach… inevitably the supervisor will ask if children will interfere with their schedule or if they have a chronic illness that will make our insurance premiums increase.  Train them on what they can and can’t say, then make sure they follow the rules.

The approach I like is to have a meeting with the supervisor prior to interviewing to go over what we would like to accomplish, the individual’s background, any specific questions we have, and then go from there.  They feel comfortable speaking up, but you’re there to really guide the interview.  This way you can debrief and discuss the candidates together, you get their opinions and viewpoint on answers you heard as well.

There are pros and cons to each situation and what works for me may not work for you.  The bottom line is that you need to ensure the supervisor is actually prepared to interview before they meet the candidate.  I’ve had a fairly good interview with a candidate, then sent them to the supervisor who was told this candidate, “kept all those bitches in line” at his last job.  It is our responsibility as HR Pros to prepare the supervisors for interviewing.

If they are just going to ask something dumb, or worse illegal, why even bother?

Because supervisors don’t like to be handed a new hire and told they have to train them and lead them.  If this individual turns out to be horrible, the blame lies squarely on HR and you get a reputation for not knowing what the business needs.  It doesn’t matter if you hired 10 amazing people before this one, the ONE new hire that didn’t work out will be on your head.  Giving supervisors some of the responsibility fosters a partnership in the new hire and makes the supervisor invested in their success.  They also see the other candidates and realize that this individual really is the most qualified and best fit out of the pool.  This isn’t to say you always have to hire the one the supervisor likes, but letting them have input in the decision fosters better hires, more collaboration, and a better experience for the new hire.  Nobody wants to be told on their first day that they were “forced” upon their supervisor who is now “stuck” training them.

Opinions on Potential New Hires

When recruiting for a position, whose opinions do you want for the hire?  Should HR really be the sole entity responsible for the staffing of your company?

NO.

We need to be there.  We need to be involved.  We may even carry the brunt of the responsibility, but it should not all be on our shoulders.  There needs to be at least one other voice involved, even in a small company.  The most obvious individual to get involved is the new hire’s supervisor.  What if this person also happens to be your entire HR department, which is how it is in my company?  All staff reports to me, the HR Manager.  Now what?  Who do I turn to?  I want another set of eyes, someone to keep this candidate talking and possibly unearth more red flags that I hadn’t caught.  Another individual may get a different vibe from a candidate that I missed.  There are three viewpoints that need to be involved in every single hire.  These roles may be filled by only two people, but typically more feedback will produce a better hire.

The viewpoints are:

• HR.  A no-brainer, but someone needs to be there to ensure nothing illegal or ridiculous is asked in the interview, or biased opinions are not given the highest priority.  A good HR Pro will already know exactly the type of person needed for the position and the qualities that will help them succeed.
• Supervisor.  The last thing a good supervisor wants is to be given an individual and told they have to accept them.  Supervisors who are involved in the hiring process will feel their opinions are valued and they can see what the other options were.  This engages the supervisor in their role, as well as gives a more hands-on perspective to the skill set you need.
• Co-workers.  Those who work most closely with this individual would also like to speak with them before an offer is made.  This isn’t always possible, and it depends on what type of culture you are trying to foster.  If you want your people to feel like a team and you trust them, they should certainly at least sit in on an interview.

I have facilitated interviews with a panel of five and I’ve conducted interviews one-on-one.  There is no right or wrong way, it all depends on what outcome you want and the resources available.

For the next few days, I will be taking each of these viewpoints and expanding on them, as well as expanding on the recruiting processes I use.  If you would like me to address a specific topic or situation, please hit me up in the comments and I will respond.

Simplicity is Our Job

Your CEO/owner/boss/etc. is a busy individual.  That’s why they hired you.  Your job is to support them.  My first boss told me, “Your job is to make me look good.”  This may sound egotistical, but it’s the absolute truth.  The best thing you can do for your career is to make your boss’s life easier.  This encompasses a lot of tips for first-time professionals: dress well (so your boss doesn’t have to explain you to others), be knowledgeable about the business (so you can actually carry on a conversation and add value), etc.  All of these boil down to one thing: doing your job exceptionally results in your boss’s life being easier.

In order to do this, you need to hone your “simplicity” skills.  Taking something complicated and being able to straightforward give facts is an invaluable skill.  Your boss (and others who are invariably watching you) will notice that you’re the one to go to for answers.  Simplistic isn’t skewing the facts or being lazy, it’s being able to sift through jargon with an awareness of what is relative to the business and thus valuable to the C-suite.

The second step is the ability to analyze the simplistic data and provide a suggestion.  Your boss will love getting hard facts and a suggestion on what to do.  They may not like the idea, but by hearing “no” and reasons why you will learn something.  You’ll also be seen as someone who is willing to take risks and think outside the box.

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”

-Charles Mingus

In HR, we not only need to make things simplistic for our fellow managers, but also for the employees.  Taxes, benefits, policies… these things are all daunting to employees, especially new hires.  Knowing how to give complete, simple, concise information is key to achieving your own goals.

Cheers! But tread lightly…

It is difficult to strike a balance between being a supportive manager and being part of the club.  Socializing with your subordinates doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing thing.  There is definitely a line to not cross.  The guidelines I use to maintain a friendly, open atmosphere with my team but stop short of becoming too friendly are:

• Company events are okay.  Weekend get togethers that are company-wide are almost expected.  Having lunch to celebrate an employee moving on and thanking them for their service is expected as well.
• If the entire company isn’t involved, step lightly.  Typically I will not attend events that only part of the staff has been invited to.  However, if everyone above me in the org chart is invited and attending, you can bet I’ll be there.
• Limit your alcohol intake.  This one goes without saying, and I’ve been guilty of overindulging.  In spite of all the other things we do, HR is still the policy police.  The last thing you want is to make a complete fool of yourself, even if the VP of Whatever is passing out free hugs.
• If you would no longer be comfortable firing an employee, or a group of employees, you’ve gone too far to the friendly side.  You’re going to have to discipline them one day, and it’s not pretty for anyone if you’re falling apart because they’re your buddy.
• Don’t completely segregate yourself from them.  They need to see you as a person, so talking with them and discussing your personal life is an important part of making a connection.  Just be weary of how deep that connection goes.

Each culture and organization is different, but oftentimes when cutbacks are necessary the friendly manager who can’t seem to keep authority over their people is the first to go.

Investigating a Complaint

HR handles a lot of traffic and a good chunk of it is complaints.  The key to being an effective HR Pro is to be able to sift through all the whining and get to a legitimate problem that needs a solution.  Experience at a company will tell you which employees have actual complaints and which ones consistently must whine or they blow up, but how do you differentiate them?  I am an efficient individual, I like to get to the point quickly, digest the information, and make a decision quickly.  I’ve found one question that cuts to the heart of whether a conversation is going to result in a legitimate complaint:

“What would you suggest as a solution?”

People who like to whine don’t have solutions.  Or their solutions are so embarrassingly unrealistic that they give up halfway through their explanation.  A slightly raised eyebrow will end their commentary, a few of these encounters will teach them that you are not going to just endlessly listen to them.

Those with legitimate complaints have often already thought of a solution.  They try to present the problem so that you’ll come to the same conclusion they have.  If you ask this question and their solution is not workable, continue digging for more information.  Oftentimes they’ll withhold selective information that would lead to a different solution than the one they want, so if you can find out all the details you can work on an answer together.  Asking this question of these employees will help them feel empowered in their role, guiding them to something that is workable will teach them more about the company’s strategy and your goals as a manager or HR Pro.

The benefits of listening to employees are endless… just don’t let their complaining be endless as well.

Student Interns

I was recently asked to give an interview for a local college who supplies us with a steady flow of medical assistant students.  Internships are a tricky thing… with so much legislation and mud-flinging going on regarding interns employers are shy to accept students.  Frustrations are high on all sides: students are not getting opportunities to learn in the real world before graduation, employers are not getting competent entrants into the workforce, and schools are at a loss for other ways to supplement their curriculum.  When done right and with some humility from everyone involved an internship will be beneficial to all.  As an employer, keep the following in mind:

• Not everything you do has to solely benefit you.  Students are there to learn, not to do the grunt work your staff doesn’t feel like handling.  Educate your staff on the expectations and requirements of having a student in the office and hold them accountable for it.
• Check up on the intern.  They’re just like a new employee… except there are no financial consequences for them if they walk out at any second and spread word to the entire student body that your organization is a horrible place to be.
• Have the intern complete an agreement.  Ask them what they would like to learn, what they would like to see, anything they would like to be involved in.  Include some verbiage agreeing that the payoff will be knowledge not dollars.  Then actually follow through with the things they would like to learn.
• Offer a letter of recommendation.  The school may have you complete an evaluation on the student at the end of the internship, but go above and beyond with a personal letter.  Talk with those who worked with the student to find some specific strengths and examples of work they completed.

During my educational career I did not participate in an internship.  Not once… I never even looked into it.  During high school I worked in a flower shop and once I graduated took a full-time receptionist position and finished my classes.  Now that I am on the employer side I can see why they are a valuable tool.  Students who have been involved in a couple of different organizations bring an understanding of how the industry already works, not just textbook ideas of how it should be.  They may even bring insight into how your competitors do business that could give you a lead in the competition race.  I had several friends who completed internships and then were offered full-time positions.  These employees already knew the culture of the organization, the lingo, and where the bathroom is.  It’s like the first awkward week of orientation just magically disappeared, and because the employer already knew the work ethic of the student and knew they were a good fit, retention skyrockets and lives are changed.

Walking in Their Shoes

Have you ever done your subordinates’ jobs?

Not just answering the phone here or there or helping them with a report.  Actually sitting in their chair and doing every aspect of their position.  Most of us have not, but having a thorough knowledge of what exactly your employees do is key to being an effective leader.  You don’t need to know every little detail of their position, but you do need to have a full understanding of what their typical day looks like.  Knowing how often the phone rings or how often they (really) get interrupted can have a large impact on how you manage the employee.  It’s the difference between acknowledging that they may need an assistant or extra help and being able to call their bulls**t on how heavy their workload is.

This goes double for you if you’re a manager and in HR.  We’ve already discussed the importance of knowing your company, and as a leader in HR you need to understand your own department inside and out as well as everyone else’s.  A little understanding of what exactly your employees do will go a long way in relating to them, building mutual respect, and making their employment experience the best it can be.  They don’t need you to understand how to handle every item that comes their way, but showing interest and caring can make all the difference in the world.

Releasing EEs into the Wild

You’ve hired a new employee.  You’ve trained them, given them the tools necessary to do their job.  You’ve checked on them at one week, then two weeks, then a month.  They seem to be getting the hang of things, they may be a little slow still but they’re learning.  You’re ecstatic and congratulating the team on doing such a wonderful job incorporating this new individual.  Then it starts, right around the 60 day mark.  First a complaint here or there regarding mistakes.  Little things.  Then it becomes more frequent, mistakes get larger or compounded.  The reports show this individual is doing right around 10-20% of the work while their counterpart is taking the rest.  After speaking with those who interact with this individual, you’ve pinpointed a few key items to work on.  You sit with the troubled employee, coach them, set clear expectations.  The next week dawns with them making marked improvements on Monday, then they show up half an hour late on Tuesday and seem to spend the day in another land.

When do you release them back into the wild?

There’s no perfect formula.  You’ve done what you can and they’re just not cut out for the position.  Before terminating, consider these key questions:

• Have you given them the right training and tools to be successful?
• Would more training or time to work on their shortcomings help?
• Do they have the right skills?  Can these skills be developed?
• Is babysitting them through the process worth it, or do you need to just cut your losses and move on?

Recently I had this situation.  Ultimately I decided to cut our losses.  The individual was just not cut out for the position we had them in and I didn’t have anywhere else to put them.  Each situation is different and each employee is different.  Sometimes releasing them back into the wild to help them find a better fit is the best way to change their life.

What exactly is “Engagement”?

Roughly 70% of US employees are disengaged.

Does this mean nearly three-fourths of us couldn’t care less whether we go to work today?  Not exactly.  “Engagement” is a tricky beast, defined differently by each individual, redefined to fit whatever the end goal of the individual is.  There are thousands of statistics proving that a more “engaged” workforce is a more productive workforce and results in higher profits.  Want more money for training?  “Engaged” employees are those who have more knowledge.  Want to bonus out your team?  Employees who are recognized for their work are more “engaged”.  Whip out a few statistics regarding “engagement” = profits and watch the C-suite sign off on your idea.

Yes, I am going to continue using quotes around all forms of the word “engage”.

The problem I see is that there is no solid definition.  What qualities does an “engaged” employee have?  What benchmark do they attain?  What sets them apart?  I have yet to see a slam-dunk profile for this individual.  I don’t think it can be done.  Just as each company and individual within are different, “engagement” means something different to everyone.  The easy definition is that an “engaged” person adds more value to their role and goes above and beyond.  There are examples to be found everywhere of this behavior.  Is this sustainable?  No.  If you were to ask these high performers if they are “engaged” would they say yes?  Maybe.  

“Only a mediocre person is always at his best.”

  – William Somerset Maugham

My view is that “engagement” is a meaningless buzzword.  To be successful as a company you need to make more money than you spend.  You need to set and attain goals.  Your employee relations issues need to be addressed.  You need to listen to your employees and create a culture that is supportive of the company’s mission.  You can’t save each employee… the only thing you can do is be realistic about expectations and make the best of what you have.  They can take it or leave it.