Especially when hiring a managerial position, schedule at least an hour for an interview. If you're still interested in that candidate, hiring experts advise inviting them back to meet other managers and for a second interview within a couple days.
Dig Deeper: Behavioral Interviewing, the New Science of Hiring
Hiring a Marketing Director: Checking References
Checking a candidate's references is the most overlooked part of the hiring practice, but experts say it is absolutely essential. Many employers also ask that applicants agree to credit-history checks and pre-employment drug screenings; those are optional, and often depend on vocation.
Of three references, have a phone conversation with at least two, and pay attention to the tone of a reference's recommendation, not just its content. Most people feel that it is not wise to hamper future employment for a past employee, so savvy references won't say anything negative. One tip: Leave a voicemail message that says, "I would appreciate a call back only if you feel this candidate is exceptional." If a reference truly believes in the candidate, he or she will return the call quickly. If you don not hear back from them, you can read into that, too.
And when you have a reference check on the phone, what should you ask? Resker, president of Employee Performance Solutions, says: "A question I like to ask is 'if the person could have been more effective, what could she have done differently.' Rather than asking one weakness, which can make them uncomfortable."
Human resources experts also recommend trying to check a reference that's not recommended by the candidate: Hunt down a person at the applicant's most recent workplace (on LinkedIn, for example) who should have known him or her well, and ask for an opinion.
"I work hard to find someone who worked with the particular person, but who wasn't their recommended reference," says Ellen Rudnick, the executive director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. "Through one or two phone calls, you can usually track somebody down to get an unbiased opinion."
Dig Deeper: A Pre-Hiring Reference Check
Hiring a Marketing Director: Other Best Practices
• Great candidates should naturally follow-up on an interview with a phone call or e-mail, making it easy for you to invite them back for a second meeting. Do so, and allow other managers to meet with potential candidates during a second-interview process before offering a position. A second or third opinion is valuable.
• Set up a program that rewards current employees for referring qualified job candidates. People within the organization can recognize others who would fit in well, and are unlikely to recommend someone who wouldn't pull his or her weight.
• In both the job listing and in the interview, be mindful of the legal strictures governing your conduct. As an employer, you are not permitted to ask questions about a person's age, race, creed, sexual orientation, or marital status.
• Despite a good gut feeling, never hire on the spot. Take time to review all candidates interviewed, both so that you have a chance for reflection and because you want to be in a strong negotiating position when discussing compensation.
• Once you identify your top prospect, make a prompt offer. Never forget that the best candidates may well be weighing multiple offers as well as a counteroffer from their current employer. Speed and decisiveness is especially important when you're seeking managerial candidates.
Dig Deeper: Avoid Hiring Mistakes
Hiring a Marketing Director: On-Boarding the New Hire
The buzz-word right now is "on-boarding" for making sure a new employee is up-to-speed and productive as quickly as possible.
Before the new employee even walks in the door, there's much to be done. Resker sums up the mindset for managers to embrace: "Employers forget that it's very scary to start a new job. Thinking about it from an employee's perspective – they don't know where things are located, even – how are they to know they're meeting expectations."
The first objective should be to make sure their work station is set up and clean. The computer should be ready for use, and business cards should be printed and ready to go.
More important, managers should make it a priority to be in the office to help direct the new hire over their first day or two. Be sure to ask pointed questions about how they're feeling and what they feel would help them out in their job that hasn't been provided.
"When you work in these small companies, you are always understaffed, you never have time," says Ellen Rudnick, the executive director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. "But it's really important to take the time you don't have to get a new employee up to speed."
One thing that helps is to have in place written employee guidelines and procedures—even if you don't have in an HR department. Consider including in your policies expected work hours, presence in the office, and acceptable personal use of company electronics and space. Your best bets are to bind these policies into a formal employee handbook or posting them on a company Intranet.
Looking ahead, a company intent on keeping its new employees should schedule regular check-ins. Matuson suggests a manager checking in with a hire after 30, 60, and 90 days, just to ask what changes they might suggest and allow them to ask any lingering questions in a low-pressure manner.
Dig Deeper: Get the Most out of Training Employees
