Peter Drucker gives advice about hiring.

Post 491 - This is from an article published in Marriott's Portfolio magazine in 1986. Peter Drucker was the greatest management thinker of the last century; yet he was able to speak in plain language that was understood by ordinary managers. Consequently, simple statements from him have influenced untold numbers of people; they certainly influenced me over the decades we worked together at Claremont Graduate University. Drucker believed that talented people were the essential ingredient of every successful enterprise and he taught generations of managers the importance of picking the best people. Here's a summary of his ideas:

- Think through the assignment.
Job descriptions may last a long time. Indeed, the job description for bishops in the Roman Catholic church hasn't changed at all since canon law was first codified in the thirteenth century. But assignments change all the time, and unpredictably. When choosing a division commander, General George Marshall always looked at the nature of the assignment for the next two years. To form a division and train it is one assignment. To lead it into battle is quite another. To take command of a division that's been mauled in battle and restore its morale and fighting strength is another still. Each of these is a different assignment and requires a different kind of person.

- Look at three to five qualified candidates.
Formal qualifications are a minimum for consideration; their absence disqualifies a candidate automatically. Equally important, the person and the assignment need to fit each other.

- Think hard about how to look at these candidates.
Studying the assignment helps you understand what a new person needs to do with high priority and concentrated effort. The central question isn't, "What can this or that candidate do or not do." Rather, it's "What strengths does each candidate have and are these the right strengths for the assignment." For example, when General Marshall was hiring for a training assignment, he looked for people who could turn recruits into soldiers. He knew that anyone who was good at that was likely to have serious weaknesses in other areas. But if he was the best for the assignment, he got the job. Marshall figured the army could always supply what was needed to compensate for the candidate's deficiencies.

- Discuss each of the candidates with several people who've worked with them.
One opinion is worthless. We all have first impressions, prejudices, likes and dislikes, so it's important to listen to what other people think. And it's best to do this informally. When the military picks general officers, this kind of extensive discussion is a formal step in the selection process.

- Make sure the appointee understands the job.
It's not immediately obvious to most people that a new and different job requires new and different behavior. So after the person has been in the job for a few months, call him or her in and say, "You've now been in this job now for several months. What do you have to do to be a success in this assignment? Think it through and get back to me in writing in a week or ten days. And remember, the things you did to get the promotion are almost certainly the wrong things to be doing now."

- Final thoughts.
If someone gets promoted because of politics, everybody will know it. And they'll say to themselves, "Okay, that's the way to get ahead in this company." People in organizations tend to behave as they see others being rewarded. Also, whenever a job defeats several people in a row who had performed well in previous assignments, it's time to abolish the job. Any job that ordinarily competent people can't perform is a job that can't be staffed.

Twelve ways to get fired.

After spending weeks - or months - searching for the perfect job, the last thing you want after you get it is to be forced back into the job market. A few wrong steps, however, really can put you back on the street without a paycheck. If you want to guarantee your spot in the unemployment line, try making some of these moves:

1. Don't do what you’re expected to do.
Check to be sure you understand exactly what your job entails, what deadlines you’re expected to meet, and any applicable departmental policies you should know about. This eliminates ambiguity and ensures you'll know how your performance measures up.

2. Keep saying "that's not my job."
It’s important to set limits, but doing no more than the absolute minimum sends a clear message that you're just interested in the paycheck. Sooner or later, your boss will start looking for someone who’s willing to take more initiative.

3. “Borrow” the firm’s tools and supplies.
While you're at it, run some personal errands with the company car and pad your expense report as well. Getting caught stealing from the company is the best ways to guarantee your immediate dismissal.

4. Misuse your computer.
If you think your boss won't notice that you spend more time instant messaging your friends than you do working, think again. Most companies nowadays monitor their employees' e-mails and internet usage - and that includes what you do with your laptop after hours. So never use your company computer for anything that’s illegal or X-rated.

5. Be a constant complainer.
Whether you think you’re paid too little, the work is boring and stupid, or your boss is a total cretin, be careful who you complain about it to. If your comments get back to your boss, she may just put you out of your misery.

6. Look out for yourself, first, last and always.
No one wants to work with an arrogant employee who steals other people’s ideas or an egomaniac who puts everyone else down. Helping your co-workers when they ask for it or need it, is always a smart move. Employees who are well-liked and respected tend to move up the corporate ladder faster. Plus, your coworkers will be more inclined to give you good leads and references during your next job search.

7. Talk about your personal life at work.
It's normal for personal business to pop up every now and then during work hours. But keep in mind that crowded offices today don't provide much privacy. The whole office can hear - and be distracted by your conversations - as you make those appointments to get your body waxed or your car serviced. Keep personal calls and errands to a minimum during work hours.

8. Come in late and leave early.
Want to show your boss how little you care about your job or career progress? Regularly come in late and leave early. If your boss can't trust you to show up on time and stick around, he’s unlikely to trust you with more responsibility.

9. Treat deadlines as guidelines.
When you procrastinate, everyone suffers. Your missed deadlines reflect poorly on you and your boss, and they can delay many other employees, since they can't finish their work until you do yours.

10. Become romantically involved with your boss.
A boss / direct-report romance isn’t encouraged in most businesses and frequently ends up with someone out of a job. (Hint: It's usually not the boss).

11. Drink alcohol or take drugs at work.
One of the quickest ways to get shown the door is come to work under the influence of alcohol or showing some signs of substance abuse. Businesses run well when employees keep things organized, and are clear and efficient in what they do, so maintaining your own clarity is extremely important. Staying on top of the many details that make your business function requires focus - and sobriety.

12. Make a lot of personal calls.
You never know who’s listening, and office walls really do have ears. Keep gossip to yourself, and don’t repeat everything you hear. Winding up on the wrong side of the rumor mill can cost you more than somebody's trust; it can cost you your job as well.

I read somewhere that approximately15,000 people in America are fired every day. Make sure you do all you can so you don’t end up being one of them. As Vince Lombardi used to say, “Those who aren’t fired with enthusiasm will be fired - with enthusiasm.”

How do you know when it’s time to move on?

• When you're romantically involved but can't stop thinking about other people, that’s usually a signal the relationship is weakening. The same holds true for your job. If you’re spending your time at work fantasizing about quitting, then you're ready to end the fantasy and just do it.

* If you watch the clock like a student waiting for recess … If you’re concentrating more and more on your hobbies, vacations and outings, it may be a sign that you're looking to replace something that you're not getting at work.

* If you don't have at least one conversation a year with your boss about your career prospects and progress in the company. Or it’s always you who has to initiate this, and then nothing further gets done about it. If conversations with those you report to are only about your shortcomings and areas that need improvement. Or you just got a poor performance review unexpectedly, right out of the blue.

* If you’ve no longer invited to important meetings or canvassed for your opinion (this usually means you're out of the e-mail loop too). If your colleagues know more about what’s going on in your area than you do. If some of your responsibilities have been taken away and given to others. Or your job title's changed so many times that the people you work with don’t know what you do anymore.

* If you’ve been discouraged from joining professional associations or attending conferences.

* If you’ve resigned yourself to keeping your head down and staying out of trouble. Technology changes every day and unless your technical skills are evolving, too, you run the risk of becoming obsolete – and eventually unemployable.

• If you keep applying for other positions, but keep getting passed over for people with less seniority and/or experience. If it seems that everyone is getting promoted but you, then it’s time to do a major job assessment. Ask yourself: “How do I make it to the top of the ladder if I’m stuck on the bottom rung?” If you can’t see a way up, then start looking for a new ladder. It’s time to move to where you’ll be appreciated and rewarded for your knowledge, skills and effort.

* Is your current job a necessary stepping-stone to get to the place you plan to be five years from now? If its not, then ask yourself why are you still there? It doesn't matter how fast you’re going if you're heading in the wrong direction.

* If you’re watching your back all the time. When other employees take credit for your contributions or steal your ideas, this is usually symptomatic of an unhealthy workplace. Most companies have minor rivalries, but if the day-to-day competition seems more fierce than friendly, leave before it gets worse.

* If your boss isn't boss material and watching the sitcom The Office seems like reality TV. Studies show that 80% of employees leave their jobs because of bad bosses. You don't need to adore your supervisor to feel good about your job, but there's a difference between the occasional screw-up and consistent hypocrisy. Bosses who don't walk the walk by meeting the standards they’ve set for others may signal bigger organizational problems with accountability that won’t change even if they’re eventually replaced.

* If you have a good boss but you’re in a bad company. When the company's in financial trouble, your job is too. If your boss starts to talk about how the company's willing to do anything to reduce costs and boost profitability, this often mean layoffs are imminent. If you think your job's on the line, start interviewing immediately. You can't lose. You get a new job, your boss wishes you well, and you go on to a new company (proof that your job really was in jeopardy). Or you resign, your boss offers you a raise and a promotion, and you decide to stay on.

* Money is a very common reason for moving on, especially if you know you're underpaid for your present position, can't make ends meet on what you're making, or have financial goals that require more income.

* Maybe you're burned out. You’ve grown tired of driving the same daily commute and solving the same problems over and over again. Or maybe you have a very stressful position where your decisions can mean life or death and, you’re suffering from job-induced traumatic stress. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself avoiding work and making or taking any excuse not to go to the office, then you need to find a new job.

* In this age of mergers and acquisitions, consolidation often leads to redundancies. Cost cutting opportunities due to overlapping responsibilities or centralization of functions may signal future job reductions in your company and/or your department. In this situation, keep your options open and start looking for safer alternatives. Consolidation also frequently means new leadership and changes in accepted policies and work practices. If the new regime brings conflicting goals or abrasive personalities, it may be time for you to consider a change as well.

* If you get unpleasant physical symptoms on Sunday night because you aren't looking forward to working Monday. The mind and body are one, and if you're not happy in your job, your body will eventually be unhappy as well.

But a chronic case of ‘the Monday disease’ doesn't necessarily mean that you dust off your resume and begin looking for greener pastures. In some cases, the workplace blues can be fixed. The challenge is knowing which ones are correctable - and how to correct them. In this situation, take a hard look at your current situation: Begin by tapping into what you originally liked about your job. Remember why you went to work for this company in the first place. If you still think you like what you see, look into a department transfer. Sometimes, a change of scenery or a new challenge are all you need to fall in love again.

Quick tips for moving on:

* Line up a new job before you quit. Employed people have more bargaining power when it comes to negotiating salary. Candidates looking for their next paycheck are likely to accept lower wages, and hiring managers know this.

* Even if you've got a good reason for moving on, don't jump at the first thing that comes your way. A good job search will uncover more than one opportunity and it’s wise to weigh the pros and cons of each one before you decide. You don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. That first offer may eventually end up being the direction you head in, but try to get a few more offers on your plate before making a decision. Caution is a wise choice when you're deciding your future.

* On the other hand, don't let caution and fear of change hold you back. Yes, you could fail in a new position or get a rotten boss, but you also take a risk pining away in your present job. If you’re afraid of losing a new job to corporate maneuverings, remember there’s no job security any more. In an uncertain world, you could lose your current job unexpectedly as well. The only security you have is your self – your skills, experience and willingness to learn and contribute. There will always be risks and uncertainties, but embracing risk sometimes brings the greatest rewards.

Finally, as you consider moving on, remember, "The great thing to learn about life is - first, do not do what you DON'T want to do, and second, do what you DO want to do."

What to do if you get laid off.

In today’s economy, employees lose their jobs for all kinds of business reasons that have nothing to do with their performance, skills or personal ability. So don’t let it eat at your self-esteem. It hurts, but it’s not personal. When you’re young, you really care what people think about you, when you get to middle age, you don’t care anymore what people think about you, and when you’re older like me, you find out people weren’t really thinking about you at all. Here are some actions to consider if and when the ax falls:

• Cut out any unnecessary expenses and prioritize your bills.
Mortgage and utilities should be paid first. If you fall behind on your mortgage, you could face late fees or even the loss of your home. Review your insurance policies for sources of short-term cash. If you have a permanent life insurance policy, you may be able to borrow against it. If money is tight, you may also need to make just the minimum monthly payments on your credit cards. If that's a problem, ask your creditors to reduce your minimum payments or waive interest until you have a job. A credit counselor may also be able to help. Contact the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at www.nfcc.org or call 1-800-388-2227 to speak to a counselor in your area.

• Liquidate your stock portfolio before turning to your credit cards or to your 401(k).
Tapping into your retirement account should always be a last resort as there are significant tax penalties when you withdraw money prematurely. Consider rolling your 401(k) money into a personal IRA so you can withdraw some of it now and defer the tax consequences until next year. Ask the financial institution that manages your plan what exit fees, if any, you have to pay. Once you leave your job, you can't borrow against your own 401(k) plan. But if your spouse is still working and has a 401(k), you may be able to borrow from that plan.

• File for unemployment benefits as soon as you can.
Since you're unemployed through no fault of your own, you’ll probably qualify for unemployment benefits if you meet state requirements for wages earned and time worked over a certain period. If your company plans to continue paying your salary, you probably won't qualify for benefits until the paychecks stop. So ask for the same amount in a lump-sum severance package instead so you can start receiving unemployment right away. You can apply for unemployment in California by calling 1-800-300-5616, or you can do it on-line at www.edd.ca.gov/eapply4ui.

• Remember to change your tax withholding.
If your spouse is working, adjust withholding on that paycheck to reduce the amount of tax withheld. With only one wage earner in the family, you'll probably fall into a lower tax bracket with a lower deduction.

• Assess your health-insurance options.
If you can't join your spouse's employer-sponsored health plan, consider extending your previous coverage through COBRA or buying an individual policy. COBRA is a federal law that lets you continue your health care coverage after you leave your job. However, you’re responsible for paying the cost of the coverage, and there’s a maximum continuation period of 18-months. You have 60-days to decide if you want to elect COBRA, and during that time, you can elect retroactively. So if you break your leg on the 59th day, you can elect COBRA and you’ll be covered. If you break your leg on the 61st day, that’s unfortunate because you'll have to pay for it yourself. Generally, people don't elect COBRA in the initial 60-days unless they need it since they hope to find a new job in that time that will provide new insurance coverage.

• Waiting the 60-days may not be appropriate if:
- you have a serious pre-existing medical condition, you may want to elect COBRA right away. A new carrier can exclude you from coverage for a pre-existing condition for six-months to a year if you can't show that you've had continuous coverage.
- you plan to go overseas. It can be difficult to get COBRA activated retroactively if you're trying to make arrangements from another country.

• If your firm offers the use of an outplacement service, take it.
Although it probably won't find you a job, it will help you get organized, refresh your resume and practice your interviewing techniques. You'll also meet other people in the same boat as yourself who can provide you with a strong support network.

The job-hunting bible, What Color is Your Parachute, says there are three primary themes to job-hunters’ success stories:

1. If you want a job, you’re going to have to work really hard to get it.

2. Success will come in direct proportion to your job-hunting efforts.

3. Successful job-hunting requires a willingness to change tactics if what you’re currently doing isn’t working.

So, don’t panic. Gather your wits about you and move forward. And remember that striving and struggling come before success even in the dictionary.

Job-search tips for older workers.

The percentage of workers in the American labor force aged 65 and older climbed to 17.3% in 2008 from 12% a decade ago. And the oldest of the nation's 78-million baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) turned 62 in 2008. However, the vast majority of these Americans don’t have enough saved to get out of the workforce at age 65. Tim Driver, who founded Retirementjobs.com, an online career site for people over 50, said the site has seen traffic triple in the past year. And several federal bills now make it easier for older Americans to either re-enter or remain in the workforce and to provide tax incentives for companies that hire them.

If you’re currently over 50 and unemployed, you’re in effect ‘starting over.’ So, now's a good time to think about what you really want to do at this stage of your life. Would you be happier doing what you do on a part-time basis? Maybe you’ve always wanted to try something different instead? Finding a new job takes longer when you're older, so it's worth making sure you're committed to the path ahead. Here are some ideas to help you go forward:

• Through your networking and research, seek out employers where the leadership team skews older. These companies are less likely to view you as a fossil simply because you qualify for AARP. If a company's executives are in their 30s, you might be out of luck.

• Seek out age-friendly employers such as Borders, H&R Block, Staples, Target, AT&T, and Comcast. Look for job postings that use words like 'maturity', 'good judgment', and 'work experience.' Check out AARP's Best Employers for Workers 50+ at www.aarp.org

• Alternatively, don’t think about your age. Focus on "making a connection" with the interviewer. In situations where you're seen as an individual rather than a demographic, you'll have a much better chance of being hired.

• Initially, your job is to persuade the interviewer that you have the enthusiasm and skills, plus the interest and ability to contribute. I have a friend who tells potential employers that her age is an asset – she’s stable, hard-working, responsible and healthy.

• Consider "dumbing down" your resume. It's unfortunate, but age discrimination is still alive and well. Plus you don’t want to be viewed as overqualified. If a company says it wants 10-years of experience, it might not want to pay for 20+ and may screen you out on that basis without even asking about your salary requirements.

• Prepare two resumes you can send out, one with all your experience, and another that’s shorter. It helps to always look like you're less experienced and knowledgeable than the person you're interviewing with.

• Don't put graduation dates on your resume. Present only the most recent 15-years of employment and summarize prior work in a single paragraph without dates or durations.

• Emphasize your capabilities, not your experience. Focus instead on the capabilities you’ve acquired during your worklife.

• Renn Zaphiropoulos, the founder of Versatec and later a Sr. VP with Xerox says, “Don’t tell me how hard you worked, don’t tell me how long you worked, tell me what you accomplished. Tell me what you can do for me. Don’t tell me you’re a self-starter or creative. Show me what you did to demonstrate these characteristics. Let the data speak for you.” And that’s exactly what your executive summary should do.

• Buy a computer and a smart phone or a PDA: That way, you’ll be able to demonstrate that you’re up-to-date and technically savvy.

• Practice answering awkward questions such as, "How long do you plan to work?" and "Do you believe you’re overqualified for this job?"

• Reach out to former employers to find out what non-traditional work arrangements (job-sharing, part-time and seasonal work) might be available to you.

• Contact agencies that specialize in placing people in contract positions. These jobs are typically for a set period of time at a set rate of pay where you’re self-employed as an independent contractor. Typically, no benefits are provided.

• Use Social Networking Web sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo to further your job search.

And finally, be patient. When you're over 55, finding a new management or executive job generally takes twice as long as it does for younger people. Perseverance is the key to success - and this is increasingly true the older you get. “Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.” – Ovid

Conducting an e-job search.

Over half of all U.S. workers now say they’re either looking for a new job or intend to do so in the next year. Most will also undoubtedly make the Internet a central component of their search. Here are some suggestions to make the time spent online more effective.

• Get prepared.
Who are you and what do you want? It’s estimated that 95% of the world’s population goes through life without ever answering this question. If you don't set targets for yourself, you’re going to end up chasing someone else’s goals. Before searching job websites, consider what you’re looking for, where you’re likely to find it, and how you’re going to get it. When you start, have a clear goal in mind, have your resume ready, and be willing to tailor it and your cover letter for each prospective employer.

• Customize your resume.
Make sure you include key words and phrases mentioned in job postings in your resume as this will increase your chances of finding a match in the employer’s applicant database. Using industry-specific terminology and tweaking your skills to include those repeatedly mentioned in the job ad can potentially double your chances of success. Use all lower case letters because capitalization makes them case sensitive. If you capitalize a key word, the computer will identify only those jobs where that word is capitalized. If you use all lower case letters, the computer will identify every job that contains the word, whether it’s capitalized or not.

• Read the fine print.
When responding to an online job ad, be sure to include everything they’ve asked for in your application. Remember, an e-mail with a virus is usually quarantined and deleted. Plus, it leaves a very bad impression of the intelligence, computer-skills, and Internet-savvy of the sender. Buy and use anti-virus software, and keep it up to date!

• Get names of key people.
Many employers post job openings on their web sites, but emailed resumes are probably directed to the human resources department. This is usually the last place you want your resume to go unless you’re interested in a position in that department. By exploring a company’s web site, however, you can sometimes find a name and phone number or e-mail address for the executive who’ll ultimately make the hiring decision. That’s the person you want to contact. The web sites of national trade associations may also contain contact information for local executives. There’s often lots of information about company management and recent developments on personal blogs, so it's worth typing the company name into a niche search engine such as Google Blog Search to see what you’ll find.

• Keep it short and sweet.

Reading online is 25% slower than reading from paper, so make things easy for prospective employers by keeping it brief and to the point. Keep your cover letter to three short paragraphs, and provide key information only: an introduction, a summary of your relevant skills and background, and a closing statement.

• Protect your privacy.
Post your resume on job search websites so potential employers can find you. However, if you’re currently employed, protect your identity by limiting access to your contact information (name, address, and phone number). Consider setting up a free email address (like Yahoo or Hotmail) just for your online job search. Don’t use a cute, or weird e-mail address (I’mgreat@whatever.com). This will just be deleted or ignored by recruiters or employers.

• Focus your search.

Many niche job boards now cater to specific professions; in the healthcare field, for example, search on biospace.com and medzilla.com. Posting your resume on too many job sites or sending it to hundreds of recruiters and employers doesn’t work. Most recipients have a spam filter screening e-mails from people they don’t know. So, always follow-up your e-mail with a phone call to be sure it was actually received.

• Use social networks to get connected.
If you already have a Facebook account, tell your network of online friends that you’re looking for a job. Most of them won’t be able to hire you, but they may know of opportunities or spread the word to their contacts. Consider summarizing your career achievements on LinkedIn and Plaxo, and using these sites to build, expand and mine your network of business contacts. You can also broadcast your availability and search progress on Twitter. When a prospective employer types your name into a search engine like Google or Yahoo, having a positive online presence can be very helpful. Also, try and see how you're connected to an employer of interest - this is easy to do using the company search feature in LinkedIn. You might have a friend who knows the hiring manager or can get first-hand information about the company.

• Be organized.
Don't submit your online job applications and then forget about them - print them out and save them for reference later. Print details of the jobs you apply for too. That way, if you ever need to review selection criteria before an interview, you can look it up. Passive job seekers get left behind in the current economic climate.

What to look for when changing jobs.

I read recently that only about 6% of employees truly love the work they do! If that’s true, then 94% are in various stages of disinterest, disillusion or despair during most of their waking hours. If you’re changing jobs, why not try to join the 6%.

Look for a company that matches your interests and utilizes the best aspects of your personality and skill set. Put yourself in an environment where you’ll be happy and engaged. Don’t apply to an employer whose integrity, character and culture are very different from your own or you’ll likely be unhappy there.

A successful job search starts with a candid self-assessment. Start by answering the following questions:

* What are your personal goals and how do they relate to the position you’re seeking?

* What work-related skills does the position require? How can you demonstrate these skills to a potential employer? What kind of previous job-related experience do you have?

* Does the position require leadership skills? How can you demonstrate these skills to an interviewer?

* Does the position require team-based collaboration, individual initiative, or a combination of these skills? Will this be a good fit for you?

* Is the business in a location where you’d like to work? How expensive and how long will your commute be? Does the company have a carpool serving your area?

* Can you work some of the time from home? Do employees work flexible schedules? (When a company tells you they offer flexible schedules, ask to talk to people who’ve taken advantage of them to be sure that it's not just a marketing ploy).

* How relaxed or formal is the culture? Is there a dress code? Can you bring your pets to work?

* Will you be required to travel for your work? If so, how far, how often and for how long? Is this something you want to do?

* Pay and a good benefits package are important, but they’re not everything. The best employers offer opportunities for career advancement as well. So, find out what kinds of training and professional development programs the company offers. Ask about the performance review process. How often are you reviewed and by whom? Always ask, “What happened to the person who had this job before me?”

* You don’t want to hitch your wagon to a falling star so evaluate the financial health of any company you’re considering joining. Look for an employer that’s likely to keep growing in the future, especially in the near future. Economic projections for the next few years suggest the present economic downturn is likely to continue through 2010. Therefore ask about the company’s track record of stability and growth during previous downturns.

How to quit your job.

When the time comes to leave your job, start by reviewing a copy of your company’s policy regarding giving notice. Then think about what you can do to minimize the dislocation for your employer and for your own career.

• Just walking away can be a big mistake.
In case you’ll need a reference later, it’s best to part on good terms. What people don’t say about you in a reference can be as telling as what they do say. People are always moving around within their industries so you never know when you’re likely to have to deal with them again. Make sure to keep your good relationships intact and don’t give previous employers any reason to badmouth you.

• Give notice first.
Most employers require you to give a certain amount of notice before you leave. They may not want you to stay once you make your intentions clear, but you’ve done the right thing and given them the choice. Stay or not, you should be paid for the contractual period of your notice.

• What does your new employer want?
Your new employer may want you to start right away but you may not be able to leave that soon. Most employers should be willing to accommodate your desire to give an appropriate amount of notice. Two weeks is usually the minimum, but four weeks or more may be more realistic in some professional situations. If you’re leaving to join a competitor, your employer may decide to end your employment effective immediately. Make sure you’re financially prepared for this.

• Write a formal resignation letter.
Your letter should be in a business format, and should include the following items:
- your intent to leave.
- the date you intend to leave.
- the date you’re submitting the letter.
- your signature.
That’s it. You don’t need to explain why you’re leaving. All that needs to go in your personnel file are the bare facts. Give your resignation letter to your direct supervisor. Keep it positive and remember that the intent is to maintain a positive relationship with the employer.

• Tell your boss.
This is always an uncomfortable situation. You may want to write down what you want to say to your boss and bring these notes to the meeting. Lay out your reasons for leaving. Don’t lie, but be sparing with the details - don’t let emotion lead you into revealing too much. Resigning should never be a negotiating tactic to get a pay raise. If you have to resort to this to get what you deserve, your current employer probably isn’t a good long-term fit for you anyway.

• Don’t be a pain before you leave.
Badmouthing the company and constantly reminding others how lucky you are to be leaving gets old real quick for those who have no plans to leave. When coworkers ask why you’re leaving, focus on the attraction of new opportunities.

• Try to finish up any outstanding work.
If others are depending on you to complete your work so they can meet a deadline, let them know what you’re planning to do before you go. Make a list of incomplete tasks so it’s easier for someone else to take over your role. Don't take anything with you, especially customer lists or product drawings. If you do, you’re likely to be sued for stealing "trade secrets."

• Exit interview.
If you agree to do an exit interview, avoid criticizing your employer or repeating suggestions you’ve offered in the past. You’re no longer responsible for anything other than wrapping up your current work. Criticisms may be misinterpreted after you leave, and you may end up accidentally burning bridges after all.

• Work hard until the very end.
It’s tempting to mentally check out of your job before you actually physically leave. Resist that urge and understand that your last impression is how you’ll be remembered. That way, you’ll end up leaving a job but you won’t end up stepping on toes, offending people, or cutting off past relationships.

Hiring resources.

Books I'd suggest that provide more helpful detail on the recruiting and hiring process include:

You're Not The Person I Hired!: A CEO's Survival Guide To Hiring Top Talent
by Janet Boydell, Barry Deutsch, and Brad Remillard

Hire With Your Head : Using POWER Hiring to build great companies
by Lou Adler, Published by John Wiley & Sons

Hiring and Keeping the Best People
by Harvard Business School Press

High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job
by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer, published by AMACOM

All of these are available on Amazon.

You can also follow Barry Deutsch on Twitter where he posts many useful references.
(Barry_at_IMPACT)

You can follow me on Twitter too - however, I'm not as focused as Barry :-)
(cotterassoc)

Finally, in Professor Nitin Nohria’s book, What Really Works, published in 2003, his team found over 200 characteristics in their research and boiled them down to twenty. He reported that there were six to eight characteristics that really mattered in distinguishing winners from losers.

His team's research indicated that there are four critical elements that winners must have:
* Having a well-defined, clearly communicated strategy
* Consistently meeting customers’ expectations via superior operational execution
* Creating a high-performance, high-values culture
* Enabling a structure that simplifies working in and with the organization

There are four more, any two of which winners need to posses:
* Hiring superior talent at all levels
* Having a great leader
* Driving innovation in your industry
* Developing a strong mergers & partnerships capability

When to terminate or demand a resignation.

It’s been 30-days since the conversation I described yesterday. However, there’s been no improvement in the employee’s performance or behavior. What to do?

It's time to have a second meeting, similar to the first, but this time spelling out the consequences for the employee and the company if the pattern continues. Consequences should include a written warning that continued non-performance or unsatisfactory behavior will be grounds for demotion or termination if not corrected in the next 30-days. Again, keep this meeting positive and to the point. Offer to assist in any way you can. After all, your job is to help the employee be successful, not to punish them or make them fail. And you should have some ownership of the issue since you hired this person in the first place. Good employees will appreciate the feedback because they really want to do a good job. Weak employees will give excuses time after time about what got in the way. So you have to be clear and get agreement that next time the desired results will be achieved, no matter what - or else.

If there’s no further change in the next 30-days, it’s time to act decisively. But first, I suggest reviewing the following checklist:

• Was a specific rule or policy violated and does the violation warrant termination?
• Was the employer’s rule or policy reasonable?
• Can you produce a copy of the rule or policy?
• Have other employees been held accountable for the same rule or policy? Has it been consistently applied in the past?
• Can you prove the employee knowingly violated the rule or policy?
• Has the employee complained of harassment or unfair treatment?
• Has the employee recently filed a workman’s compensation claim?
• Is the employee about to vest in certain benefits?
• Has the employee recently complained about a company wrongdoing or safety issue?
• Are there any current grievances or complaints pending?
• Were any promises made verbally or in writing to this employee by senior management?
• Is there any evidence of discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or any other legally protected characteristic?

Discharge interviews should be prompt, private, without blame, and should include a witness to confirm what took place. Don't say too much. Above all, avoid inflammatory language or anything you can't document. Certain terms sound inherently defamatory, such as "thief," "stealing," or "drug abuse." Use non-inflammatory descriptive terms that can be documented, such as "failure to properly account for items entrusted to his care", or "violated drug-free workplace policy by testing positive for [whatever]." Most states don't require an employer to give an explanation of the reason or reasons for discharge, and an employee isn't required to give an explanation for a resignation. If given, make the explanation brief and to the point. It's good practice to let one specific person in the company carry out all terminations so you minimize the risk that individual hard feelings might inadvertently result in statements that end up sounding defamatory in court.

In many cases, especially with professional employees, a negotiated resignation is better than a termination. In these cases, make sure you get a signed agreement that includes:

• a release of liability
• employee can’t reapply
• confidentiality of business information
• assignation of patents
• signed non-compete
• agreement not to steal staff

Termination or resignation is always a last resort remedy. You take it because the employee gives up on you, not because you gave up on them.

It’s my experience that employers tend to wait too long to deal with sub-standard performance issues, hoping they’ll somehow fix themselves or the problems will go away. This very seldom happens. If the desired behavior doesn’t change and you don’t give feedback, feedback was received anyway. Most people know when they’re not meeting expectations. When nothing is said, it’s interpreted as 'it isn’t a big deal.' By failing to address repeated failures, you set a bad example for others and discourage your best employees who are wondering why you don’t take appropriate action.

On-boarding new employees.

OK, you’ve hired the candidates and they’ve reported for work. What next? Very often, companies act like they’re no longer really interested in them. They’re shown where their desks are, where the toilets are, and given a copy of the employee handbook together with an explanation of the company’s benefits. Then they’re left to fend for themselves. Leaving new employees to their own devices at this stage risks inefficiency and eventually turnover.

I’ve found many successful companies instead provide each new employee with a coach or mentor on day one, someone who’s senior to them in the company to go to for answers, information and assistance. They meet with this mentor once a week for the first six-weeks to see how they’re doing and to find out how they view the company’s operations. They have a formal performance review after 90-days and again after 180-days to be sure their contributions are on track and to share feedback about goals and resources. By then, they should be well integrated into the new business.

However, sometimes new employees don’t appear to be working out. When this happens, you (their manager or supervisor) should meet with them and provide assertive criticism as follows:

• Name the issue. Be specific and direct – don’t beat around the bush. Identify the issue specifically and succinctly. This opening statement should take no more than sixty-seconds.

• Select a specific example that illustrates the behavior or situation you want to change. Use the brief, CNN version – drop most of the rest of the story around the example.

• Describe your emotions around this issue. Describe the emotions rather than being the emotions or expressing these emotions in this conversation. Deliver the message without the load.

• Clarify why this is important – what’s at stake to gain or lose for you, for others, for the unit, or for the company.

• Identify your contribution(s), if any, to this issue.

• Indicate your wish to resolve the issue.

• Invite the other party to respond.

Then be quiet! Insight occurs in the space between words. Let silence do the heavy lifting.

• Inquire into the other party’s views. Use paraphrasing and perception checking. Dig for full understanding; don’t be satisfied with just scratching the surface. Make sure the other party knows that you fully understand and acknowledge his/her position and interests.

• What was learned? Where are we now? What’s needed for resolution? What was left unsaid that needs saying? Are we ready to move on? What’s our new understanding? How will we move forward from here, given this new understanding?

• Make a new agreement and create a way to hold each other accountable for it. Clear agreements without effective follow up just won't work.

Tomorrow I’ll discuss what to do if the issue continues to be unresolved.

How to conduct a reference check.

I suggest you don't check references until you're are ready to make an offer to a candidate. This saves staff time and demonstrates your respect for the candidates. After all, you don't know whether their current employer or favorite professor even knows they're looking for a new position. (I personally prefer candidates who tell their employer, but realize this isn't always possible, or even desirable.) In that case, use former supervisors or senior coworkers as references. If the candidates don't want you to contact their current employers, there's always other people who can provide a reference.

Tell all the candidates that you'll check their references before you make any hiring decisions. Business owners often hire applicants because of a well-written resume or a "good feeling" from an interview. No matter how quickly you'd like to get a position filled, always perform this due diligence before you take the hiring step. Otherwise, it's often a case of "hire in haste, repent at leisure."

Ask each applicant to sign a release form permitting you to ask detailed questions of former employers and other references. Make sure the form prevents the applicant from suing you or any former employers based on the information you learn during the reference checks. Without this permission, you may only be able to confirm employment dates, pay rate, and position — information that tells you little about a prospective employee's character. Also, check with your lawyer first, because some kinds of liability can't be waived. Fax a copy of the prospective employee's background check waiver and your personal credentials before you call a prospective employee's references. Many employers fear being sued for defamation if they say anything negative about a former employee. Your fax will ease their fears. Keep in mind that some states now consider employers' comments to be "qualifiedly privileged." That means the employer can't be held liable for the information he or she reveals unless he or she knows it to be false or reckless. If that's true in your state (check with your lawyer), make sure the references know it.

When conducting reference checks, get an overall summary of the candidates' strengths and weaknesses and always ask for specific examples to support generalities and glowing statements. This will reduce exaggeration.

• Ask "Please describe your reporting relationship with the candidate? If none, in what capacity did you observe the candidate's work?"

• Verify basic information such as employment dates, job titles, salary, and types of jobs performed.

• Ask "What was the candidate's reason for leaving?"

• Ask “What motivated or drove the candidate to succeed?”

• Ask “Would you rehire this individual? Why or Why not?”

• Ask “How would you compare this candidate to others you know at the same level?”

• To get an overall summary, ask “How would you rank the candidate's overall performance on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being highest? What would it take to move this ranking up a point?”

* Ask "If I describe the position we're hiring for, can you tell me how good a fit you think the candidate would be for that position?"

• Ask "Is there anything I haven't asked that you'd like to share with me?"

Having a standard format for checking references allows you to easily compare candidates and ensures your managers are asking the "right" questions to make an educated decision before offering candidates a job with your company.

You might also consider conducting a background check on a prospective employee. Not every company does this, and not every position merits it, but it might be appropriate in some cases. Background checks can verify past employment, as well as checking on educational and criminal records. Background checks can also search driving records and financial information such as credit reports, if that kind of information is pertinent to the prospective candidate´s position with your company.

Avoid these common hiring mistakes.

Working mostly with smaller companies these days, I find they usually have weak or nonexistent HR capabilities. Even if employees are valued in a family sort of way, the main concern in hiring is to fill a space and stay out of trouble with the law. Here are some of the most common errors and omissions I encounter. These can all be avoided by following the hiring outline I provided in last week's posts.

• There’s no formally spelled-out hiring procedure so managers all do it differently. Some do it well but most do not. They've had no training in how the company wants its managers to hire in a consistent way.

• Hiring decisions tend to be made on emotions (“I really liked so-and-so”) rather than being fact based. Managers hire in their own image and likeness, mostly hiring people they’ll be comfortable with. Not a great way to bring new and challenging ideas into the company.

• People are hired for what they know, then fired later on for who they are.

• Managers who are rated an 8 on a performance scale of 1 – 10 hire 7s. 7s hire 5s. And so on.

• When a candidate is interviewed by several managers, the criteria aren’t agreed to up front and the results aren’t scored against these criteria. When it’s over, all you’re left with are multiple impressions of the candidate and these are often based on different assessments of what the job entails.

• Position descriptions are seldom developed beforehand to define the skills, capabilities and experience the candidates need to have before they can be hired. Without this, it’s impossible to develop scoring criteria for the interview process. Job descriptions typically list activities, not capabilities.

• References are seldom checked because “since they could be sued, they won’t tell us anything worthwhile anyway.”

Tomorrow, I'll cover more about reference checking. Also what to do if the candidate doesn't work out after being hired.

Are there any other aspect of hiring that are of interest to you?

How to score and rank job candidates.

To score and rank the candidates, I recommend using Lou Adler's 10-item checklist using a scale of 1 (weak) to 5 (strong):

1. Energy, drive and initiative.
The key to personal success is to do more than you have to, so look for this quality in every past job. Get examples of initiative and extra effort. Don't assume that an extroverted personality means lots of energy; have the candidates prove it by example, including specific dates, facts, and quantities. Don't ever compromise on this one.

2. Trend of performance over time.
Get detailed examples of the candidates' major accomplishments over the past five years. From this, it's easy to see how they've grown and impacted the companies they've worked for. The ideal candidates have had comparable (not necessarily identical) jobs and are still showing signs of upward growth.

3. Comparability of past accomplishments.
Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Results-based, and Time-based) objectives to compare the candidates' past accomplishments with the performance objectives of the job to be filled and get anchoring accomplishments for each one.
Be concerned about mismatching - for example, a smart energetic engineer may not be effective as a manager.

4. Experience, education and industry background.
Use this in conjunction with the past accomplishments category. Strong education and experience can sometimes offset a weaker accomplishment rating. Examine experience in the context of the pace, style and standards of performance where the experience took place. Give some extra credit for direct industry experience and education.

5. Problem solving and thinking skills.
Strong candidates need to understand the work, solve job-related problems, and anticipate what needs to be done. Collecting and processing information to make appropriate decisions is important, as is the ability to apply previous knowledge and experience to solving new problems.

6. Overall talent, technical competency and potential.
Score the candidates' ability to grow, develop and take on bigger roles. The top candidates will have a broader focus than the job demands. Search for thinking skills; candidates who see the broader needs of a business beyond their own functional requirements. Being able to learn technical skills is often more important than already having them, unless the job is very technically intensive and requires immediate knowledge.

7. Management and organization.
Have the candidates draw organization charts for the last few positions held. Assign names, titles, and direct and indirect staff size. Compare the size and scope of candidates' responsibilities with your current job needs. Then ask the candidates to describe their most complex team projects to assess their organizational skills.

8. Team leadership.
Team leadership represents the ability to tap into and harness the energy of others - getting them to move in the same direction or to do something they might not want to do. This has two aspects - motivating immediate subordinates and motivating people who work in different departments. Also look for candidates who've personally helped a number of people become more successful and who consistently go out of their way to hire superior people

9. Personality and cultural fit.
Personality is revealed in an individual's accomplishments. Look for flexibility and a pattern of accomplishments in different situations: as a member of a team, as the leader of a team, and as an individual contributor. Categorize the candidates' accomplishments on an ABC scale: "Alone," "Belonging to a team," or "in Charge of the team."

10. Character.
Character is a deep-rooted trait that summarizes a person's integrity, honesty, responsibility, openness, and fairness in dealing with others. Save this topic until the end of the first interview, or wait for the second interview when candidates will be more open and comfortable with their responses. Ask them to explain their personal value system and how they developed it. Find out why they want to change jobs and what aspects of work they find important. Understanding the candidates' value systems allows you to predict how they'll react to various work-related circumstances.

How to ask good interview questions.

Your questions shouldn't offend and should help you establish the applicant's qualifications and prospects for success on the job. Questions about values look to find if there's any cultural misalignment.

1. What are some of the things that make a job really satisfying for you?

2. What three accomplishments do you take the greatest pride in?

3. What's the toughest job you have ever had? How did you handle it?

4. What kind of boss do you work best with?

5. What would your present or former boss say about you? What would he have liked to see you do differently?

6. Tell me about a mistake that you made, either at work or in your personal life, that taught you a significant lesson?

7. Give me an example where you improved yourself over the last three months.

8. Have you ever risked being fired to do what you thought was right? Explain.

9. What values do you admire most in your favorite Company?

10. During a heated disagreement between co-workers, if you could be either a peacemaker or a decision maker, which would you choose and why?

11. Do you have any responsibilities that would conflict with your job attendance or travel requirements?

12. Describe times when you’ve had to juggle several tasks and deadlines at the same time.

13. What work situations have irritated you or made you upset, angry, in the past?

14. Describe a time when you took the initiative to handle something outside your area of responsibility. Why did you decide to do this?

15. Suppose we had a product or service that you felt didn't meet our customers' needs – what would you do about it?

16. What personal agendas do you think you'll satisfy by accepting this position?

17. What’s the best use of your time and talent?

18. What do you wish you had more time to do?

See also some excellent advice from Van A. Thaxton, a HR consultant in San Diego, at

http://www.cfstaffing.com/CFS/Employers/Resource/The+Most+Revealing+Interview+Questions+And+How+to+Ask+Them.htm

Does your company use a consistent hiring process?

Bob Spence introduced me to this very effective multi-step hiring process:

1. Spell out the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors desired. This is the "who" criteria, the attributes of the person needed for this job.

2. Next spell out the "what" criteria. Define the job's duties and responsibilities. Identify and include issues like accountability, performance, and cultural or political issues in the company that you need in the person being hired.

3. Then define the capabilities the candidate needs to have before they can be hired.

4. Quantify the interview information not by reading resumes, but by scoring and ranking them.

5. Screen all potential employees first using telephone interviews (see previous posts on how to use phone interviews in recruiting - Sept 17, 2008).

6. Include several behavioral probes about how the candidates have actually performed in the past, not how they think they'll act in the future. For example, ask them; "describe a time in which you were faced with problems and/or stresses which tested your coping skills. What did you do?"

7. Interview only your top candidates on-site.

Following this hiring process may take more time than you’re used to. However, most companies find that they’re spending less time hiring because they aren't hiring as often. They also save lots of money. If you hire a receptionist at $25,000 a year and she doesn't work out, this could cost you a lot more than her salary. Since the receptionist is the first person your customers have contact with, if she offends them so they stop doing business with you, it can cost you a small fortune.

Recruiting is the single most important part of the hiring process. It's not something you do at the end of an interview - it starts the moment you begin the interviewing process. If you can't attract the best people, everything else has been a waste of time. You know you have problems if you're consistently paying too much or if candidates frequently say, "I have to think about it," after receiving an offer. Problems occur because many managers stop interviewing and begin selling as soon as they find someone they like. Once you start selling, you stop learning about the prospective hire.

Recruiting is more about marketing than selling. If you oversell, you tend to over-talk and under-listen. As a result, you'll either lose the best candidates or pay too much for them. As you talk more and the candidates talk less, you lose control of the interview. From that point on, you won't learn anything new about them other than what they want you to know. If you present the job, without pressure, as a significant long-term and exciting opportunity, candidates will want to sell or convince you about their skills and capabilities, instead of you having to sell them.

How to hire great people.

A lot of the problems I find in my consulting and counseling practice are a result of bad hiring practices. And it seems I'm not alone - the bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, is currently working on a book that argues there's a mismatch problem in the way we usually hire people, that we set up qualifications to try and judge how people might perform where what we should be doing is watching them actually perform.
see http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/gladwell

Successful companies marry seasoned talent with people who have fresh perspectives. Many years of experience in an industry can turn out to be a detriment rather than an asset when looking for new ideas. Nanogen’s Chairman Howard Birndorf says, “Look for people who are smarter than you, who both compliment and support your own skills. You need to find people who understand how to take risks, people who aren’t afraid of change, who can go from one day to the next with a big change in either direction without being blown away.” Kevin O’Connor, a co-founder of DoubleClick says, “The thing we most tend to look for in hiring people is intelligence - and athleticism: people who love to compete, who don’t like to lose.”

Look for smart people with a combination of experience, drive, commitment and passion. Getting that mix right is the difference between companies that achieve greatness and those that merely survive, or fail. The new hire’s priority has to be making the company successful, not getting a certain title or a private office. For key hires, it’s also important to meet the prospect's spouse. If they're going to have to live with long days or frequent travel, they need to know about the company and its business plan. Have your current top people take assessment tests - then build the profile that’s worked for you and use it to hire new people - that way, you know what you’re looking for.

Creating a successful company is as much about good people as good technology. Bill Gates says, “It’s important to have someone you totally trust, who is totally committed, who shares your vision, and yet who has a different set of skills and who can also act as a check on your ideas. Some of the ideas you run by him, you know he’s going to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, have you thought about this and that?’ The benefit of sparking off somebody like that is that it not only makes a business more fun, but it leads to a lot of success.”

Hiring good people is like getting married - if you do it right, you don’t have to do it often. If you’re in a situation of excessive risk, hire somebody who has already learned to shave on someone else’s beard. Hire the people you think you’ll need five years from now if everything works out. Hire people who share your vision and agree with your business principles. Make sure these are clear to the people being recruited. Have the best candidates spend time with the people they’re going to be working with. Hire backups for key people; the biggest weakness in smaller companies is a lack of bench strength.

If you want an innovative organization, you need to hire, work with and promote people who make you uncomfortable. You need to understand your own preferences so that you can compliment your weaknesses and exploit your strengths. Never hire or promote in your own image. It’s foolish to replicate your strengths and your weaknesses. If you hire people with the same character qualities that you have, you’ll just end up fighting with them.

Real world hiring strategies.

• The core values that Hewlett-Packard identified for high performance include: continuous process improvement, flexibility, teamwork and continuous learning. When H-P set up a new plant in Puerto Rico, the company brought people in for interviews in groups of twenty at a time. First, they filled out applications. Then, the recruiters asked them to look carefully at the application form, and to think about how it might be improved (continuous improvement). Then, they formed teams to summarize their suggestions (teamwork). Reforming into different teams (flexibility), they conferred and reported what they’d learned so far in the hiring process (continuous learning). Every applicant went through this sequence four or five times. Finally, the recruiters asked, “Do you notice something different going on here? What message do you think we’re trying to get across to you?” One H-P manager noted, “They then told us about the core values. We didn’t have to tell them. It’s important to be explicit about what you’re doing, the way you design your culture. You don’t get there by default.“

• At the Gates Rubber plant in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, all job applicants went through a five-step screening and interviewing process. First, they had a general interview with people from the personnel department. Three days later, someone else from personnel interviewed them a second time, to verify information and impressions from the first meeting. The third step consisted of a group interview with the plant manager and two other people from different parts of the plant who evaluated communication skills, work attitudes and general confidence level. Since teams perform all the work in the plant, these interviews also explored the applicant’s ability to respond well in a group setting.

If this panel approved the candidate, the personnel department conducted an intensive reference check. Candidates whose references checked out then come back for a final meeting which lasted a couple of hours and usually took place on a weekend so the candidate’s spouse or significant other could attend. During this meeting, the plant manager and two other people from the plant reviewed its policies, practices and benefits, showed a video on Gates Rubber’s history, and discussed what it meant to join a high-performance company.

Each step in the interview process tried to surface the kinds of problems that might otherwise show up only after the company had hired someone. Given the costs of quality mistakes, injuries, work slowdowns from incompetence, and overtime, Gates believed that its investment in hiring paid off. The Siloam Springs plant had an eight percent annual turnover rate versus 100% in a comparable plant in town owned by another company.

How to use phone interviews in recruiting.

Use a phone interview to save time and to decide if it’s worth meeting with the candidate in person. Make sure it addresses initiative, talent, span of control, team and management issues, and interest.

Start by spend two minutes describing the company, the job, and who you are. Then ask:

Please give me a quick overview of your present situation and a general overview of how your background fits our needs.

Please give me a quick overview of your current / most recent company and position, and describe the biggest impact or change you’ve made there.

Give me an example where you’ve demonstrated initiative.

Describe how your department was organized, and who you reported to.

Tell me how you developed and managed your work group,
or
Tell me about some team project you were engaged in and describe your role.

Please describe your most significant individual accomplishment (typically a one-time event, such as an analytical or technical study, or a special project).

Please describe your most significant management or team project and clearly define your role.

One of our critical success factors is……………..Can you describe where you've had a comparable success?

When interviewing, ask the candidate for two or three examples for each question, and make sure you understand the context of each example. Look for indications of high initiative in every answer. Probe the answers for the why, when, how and what. Get all the details - size, scope, complexity, effort, issues, dates, and references. Asking for references from the very beginning discourages people from exaggerating or making things up.


For more information, read You're Not the Person I Hired by Barry Deutsch and Brad Remillard.