Strategic Hiring Workshop

Today’s Agenda1. Employment Process Overview

2. Defining The Need (exercise 1 – identify who you need)

3. Screening Applications (exercise 2 – screen applications)

4. Interviewing– Style– Legal Constraints – Question Development (exercise 3 – develop interview questions)– Facilitating Open Discussion– Red Flags– Interviewer Errors– Process Flow Example– Selling UNMC– Additional Tips

5. Verifying Applicant Qualifications

6. Candidate Assessment

7. Applicant Communication

Top 5 Interview Follies

1. Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.

2. Bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such a thick carpet.

3. Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure that the offer was formal.

4. Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.

5. Asked if I wanted some cocaine before starting the interview.

OverviewI. Importance of executing the hiring

process effectively.• Hire better people

• Improve productivity• Improve morale• Reduce turnover costs• Reduce time spent on personnel issues

II. Harvard study• 80% of turnover is due to hiring mistakes

Overview

Needs identified by department.

Position description update if necessary.

Requisition created by department and submitted to HR.

Position posted by HR

Department selects pool of applicants for interviews.

Applicants meeting minimum qualifications are routed to department for review.

Department screens apps based on KSA’s needed to perform duties of position.

Applications received by HR and screened for minimum qualifications.

Interviews/skill assessment/reference check conducted by department Applicants not meeting

minimum qualifications are notified via web and are no longer under consideration.

Department makes offer to selected candidate.

Candidate accepts offer

Pre-employment background check and any other compliance requirements completed.

Candidates not hired are notified via phone call or letter.

New Employee starts work

New Hire Entered into SAP

III. UNMC Employment Process Flow

Define The Need• Know the current job (update description if necessary)

– Required qualifications– Preferred qualifications– Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSA’s)– NU Values– Work Environment Culture– Strategic impact

• Identify qualities of current high and low performers in the unit

Define the Need – I. Defining the job duties, knowledge, skills and abilities

Define The Need

– Age– Marital Status– Income– Work Experience– Race/Ethnicity– Education

– Language– Gender– Physical

abilities/qualities– Job classification– Religious beliefs– Musical preference

Diversity is an inclusive concept considering such things as…

Define The Need

–Productivity–Marketing

opportunities–Creativity

What’s the Benefit of Diversity and why should we care?

–Flexibility–Business Image–Innovation–Knowledge base

• Increased or Improved

Define The Need

• More effective communication• More responsive to customers• More reflective of community served• Reduced lawsuits and complaints

What’s the Benefit of Diversity and why should we care?

Define The Need

• Assess hiring needs quarterly

• Define the needs for the department• Language issues• Cultural issues• Customer/client demographics

How to pick the right candidate: Management Tools

Define The Need

• Review job description- consider expanding minimum requirements if narrowly defined

• Insist on a diverse pool of applicants• Consider additional qualifications

How to pick the right candidate: Management Tools

Define The Need

• Include a diverse group on your interview team – listen to feedback

• Hire the best candidate for the job.

How to pick the right candidate: Management Tools

Exercise 1

Defining The Need

Screening ApplicationsScreening

– Set aside time to thoroughly review applications daily

– Does the applicant possess KSA’s to effectively perform the job

• Education• Licensure• Training• Work experience• Skills

– Look for actions, results, and accomplishments, not just duties performed

Screening Applications• Screening Cont…

– Identify information that appears exaggerated and inquire during the interview

– Red flags• Nepotism• Frequent job changes• Reasons for leaving previous employment• Gaps in employment• Criminal history related to job• Cosmetics of application (i.e. typos, grammar, clarity,

completeness)

Screening Applications Reminders

• RIF/Grant Expiration Applicants– Require an interview if they meet minimum qualifications

• Declining Applicants – “Not Hired” Status– Some Reasons for Declining

•Lacks preferred education

•Lacks preferred experience

•Past performance

•Prior job stability

•Salary expectations

Screening Applications

Reminders Cont…

• Veterans Preference Law

– Does not apply to promotions or transfers, only new hires

– Preference means being entitled to employment over non-veterans of equal qualifications in the final selection process.

– Legal Guidelines – I. Veteran’s Preference

Screening Applications

Effectively utilizing the applicant pool

• Already have a strong candidate– EEO– Challenge the candidate by seeing how other potential

candidates measure up

• Consider internal candidates– UNMC experience

• External candidates– Fresh ideas

Screening Applications

Narrowing Down the Field

• Comparing/Contrasting Applicants

– Only utilize job related criteria

– Use of Scoring Spreadsheet• Candidate Assessment – II. Scoring Templates

– Keep criteria and documentation job related

– Be consistent

Exercise 2

Screening Applications

Interviewing Style

1. Structured• Pre-planned agenda• Interviewer knows ahead of time what

he/she will ask• Provides interviewer with info necessary to

make a hiring decision• Defense against discrimination in hiring and

selection due to consistency

Interviewing Style

2. Unstructured (shoot from the hip)• No pre-planned agenda Doesn’t always

provide necessary info• Lack of structure can make it hard to

compare and rank applicants• Not as easy to defend hiring decision

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

• The Basics

– Be fair to everyone you consider

– Be consistent in your evaluation methods

– Keep conversation job related

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

1. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act• Prohibits discrimination based on race,

color, religion, gender, and national origin

2. Age Discrimination in Employment Act

• Prohibits questions about a persons age• Protects individuals over age 40

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

3. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)• Protects qualified individuals with disabilities

from discrimination in employment.

4. Immigration Reform and Control Act• Prohibits employment of persons in the U.S.

without authorization• Requires form I-9

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

• Do not ask any non-job related questions

• Avoid any questions relating to:– Race– Color– Religion– Gender– National origin– Age– Disabilities– Pregnancy, sexual orientation, caregiver responsibilities

• Any questions relating to above items must be bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ) in order to be asked

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

NO YESHow old are you?

What would your spouse think about you doing overnight travel?

What are your child care arrangements?

When did you graduate from high school?

Have you ever been arrested?

Are you over the age of 18?

Is there any reason that overnight travel would be a problem for you?

Can you work the required schedule?

What schools have you attended?

Have you ever been convicted of a crime?

Legal Guidelines – II. What To (and not to) Say

Sample Questions

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

ADA in-depth (for all applicants use the following process)

1. Give applicant copy of job description and allow them time to fully review it.

2. Ask if they fully understand the job

3. Ask if the person can perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation

4. Rely on candidate to mention need for accommodation

5. If mentioned, note accommodation need and move on

6. If candidate is selected, assess reasonableness of accommodation prior to offer. (may request medical documentation if necessary)

7. Mention somewhere in the interview that regular attendance is important

Interviewing Legal Guidelines

ADA in-depth continuedDo not…1. Ask the person if they have a disability

2. Discuss existence, nature, or severity of disability even when apparent

3. Ask if someone will need to take leave for condition

4. Ask about a person’s work comp history

5. Commit to an accommodation on the spotLegal Guidelines – III. American’s With Disabilities Act

InterviewingQuestion Development

• Review KSAs, values, and work culture assessment of position

• Develop questions that:– Assess knowledge and skill level– Test ability to apply knowledge and skills– Derive personal values and cultural fit

Interviewing – I. Interview Design

InterviewingQuestion Development

Behavioral Interviewing

• Interviewing approach that looks at past behavior as the best predictor of future performance.

• Aims to match people’s skills and motivations with job requirements.

• Considered a valid approach to evaluating soft skills– Hard skills vs. Soft skills

– Hard = technical, based on actual job duties (KSAs)– Soft = good and bad workplace characteristics (values, culture fit)

Interviewing Question Development

Behavioral Interviewing Cont…

• Criticisms – Focus is on past behavior, not future potential– Time consuming to set up

• Use hypothetical questions sparingly– Hypothetical – “what would you do if…”– Real Life – “tell me about a time when you…”

Interviewing – II. Behavioral Interview Sample Questions

Interviewing Question Development

Behavioral Interviewing Cont…• 5 step process

1. Know the KSAs and behavioral attributes of the job

2. Determine questions that elicit the desired behaviors of the job

3. Develop structured format for asking the questions

4. Consider “good”, “average”, and “bad” benchmark answers and prepare scoring sheet

5. Take notes• recording actual responses• Omit prejudicial or judgmental comments• Maintain a consistent format for each candidate

Interviewing Question Development

• Basic Interview Techniques– Open Ended– One-Step Probe– Two-Step Probe– Pause or Silence– The Echo– Comparison and Contrast– Complement– Use of Examples– Situational Questions– Self-Disclosure

Interviewing – IV. Basic Interviewing Techniques

Exercise 3

Interview Question Development

InterviewingFacilitating Open Discussion

• Put applicant at ease during beginning of interview

• If applicant freezes on a question, move on and come back to it later

• Avoid yes/no questions

• Avoid leading questions

InterviewingFacilitating Open Discussion Cont...

• Listen more, talk less

• Pay attention to applicant body language and facial expressions

• Probe deeper on topics of interest

Interviewing Red Flags

• Tardiness to the interview

• Avoidance of specifics in recalling experience

• Bad communication (missed calls, excessive phone tag, failure to call back)

• Lack of interview preparation

Interviewing Red Flags Cont…

• Significant delays in accepting an offer

• References refuse to discuss candidate’s qualifications

• Strong differences of opinion among interviewers

InterviewingInterviewer Errors

• Mirroring– Tendency to be positively inclined toward people who

seem just like yourself

• Halo Effect– Responding favorably towards a candidate because

they remind you of someone successful

• Behavioral characteristics– Focusing to much on hard skills and forgetting soft

skills

Interviewing Process Flow Example

Phone screenShort, basic information gathering

Face-to-face interview #1Continue information gathering

Assess technical, job related KSAsAssess behavioral attributes

Face-to-face interview #2Skill testing

Additional behavioral assessmentNew interviewer added to mix

Tour office, meet other employeesCheck References

Offer job

InterviewingSell UNMC to the Candidate

• Create desire on the part of the candidate to work for us– Highlight challenges, growth, satisfactions– Share your positive experiences

• Dispel anxieties or myths

• Be honest about positives and negatives

InterviewingSell UNMC to the Candidate Cont…

• Uncover needs/motivation of candidate and try to show how UNMC can meet them– What are some factors in your current position you

would like to change?

– What is it that interests you most about this position/UNMC?

– While money is important, what do you think motivates people to change jobs?

– Work-life balance - benefits package, employer provided day care, work environment, time-off, holidays, etc.

InterviewingAdditional Tips

• Probe the candidate for knowledge of UNMC

• Get at talent and ability as well as skill and experience

• Involve others in the process– Different people offer different points of view– Get feedback from anyone that talked to the

candidate

• Discuss compensation upfront

InterviewingAdditional Tips Cont…

• Act with a sense of urgency– Long delays can make the organization look overly

bureaucratic and indecisive. – Other opportunities can present themselves to your

top candidates

• Look for patterns in the candidate’s responses

• Do not telegraph approval or disapproval of candidate’s responses

Verifying Applicant Qualifications

• Skills testing– Computer skills assessment offered through

HR– Department administered assessments– Make sure test only assesses skills relevant

to the job– Be consistent

Verifying Applicant Qualifications

– Basic• Criminal history• Sex offender registry• Identification• U.S. government

terrorist list• Maiden/AKA name

search• Sanction check

– Trustworthy and Reliable

(nuclear irradiators)• Employment verification• Education verification• Personal Reference

– Additional based on job• Motor vehicle• Credit report

Background Check(Coordinated by HR, performed by 3rd party administrator)

Verifying Applicant QualificationsReference Checking (Performed by the hiring department)

– Use a list of contacts provided by the candidate• Ensure they are business contacts

– Current boss (where feasible)– Past bosses– Peers in the same function– Subordinates (if in management)– Customers or clients if applicable

– Previous employers are an important source of information• Check all major resume claims• Verify dates of employment• Ask about attendance history• Inquire as to candidate hard and soft skills related to job

Reference Checking - Form

Verifying Applicant Qualifications

Reference Checking Cont…(Performed by the hiring department)

– Employers may be reluctant to provide info for fear of a defamation law suit

• Tips for gaining information– Keep questions job related– Ask specific questions– Put request in writing– If nothing else, ask if eligible for rehire

– Explain to candidate that you cannot make an offer without a complete reference check

Candidate Assessment

• Rate candidates immediately after interview while information is fresh in your head

• Compare and contrast candidates

• Team discussion and consensus if using an interview team

Candidate Assessment Cont…

• Hard skills evaluation1.Does the applicant possess the critical knowledge/skills

needed to do the job?

2.Does the candidate have the ability to apply this knowledge/skill in the successful completion of job duties?

3.Is the candidate motivated to apply knowledge, skills, and abilities?

• Soft skills evaluation• Does the candidate have the values to fit the organizational

culture and strategic direction?

Candidate Assessment – II. Scoring Templates

Applicant Communication

Mediums• Jobs@ On-line applicant status

update

• Email – Quick/easy way to stay in touch with applicants

• Phone – Notify those interviewed but not hired

• Letters– Templates available at nuvalues.unmc.edu

– Formal, compliant, offer letter– Notification to those interviewed but not hired (if not

called)

Applicant Communication Cont…

Things to keep in mind• Update status in Jobs@ ASAP for

applicants that have been disqualified.

• Give applicants realistic time frames

• Be as prompt as possible

• Make sure all applicants have been notified before requisition is closed.

New Hire

• Complete all necessary pre-employment compliance requirements

• Ensure new hire is properly oriented to UNMC and department.

New Hire – Managers’ Check List