Caps & Immunities • Don’t waste time on “science projects”.
•• • •
•
• Networking is one of the better tools to find a prospective candidate.
Essentially, your colleagues
already know you and potentially a match for your job.
Posting the job:
• Be realistic and clear on your needs and expectations. •
Maintain a detailed job description for every position in your firm. Tis makes scheduled and unscheduled interviewing (and reviews) much easier.
• If you are having prospective employees respond by email, I suggest setting up a Gmail account for the responses. Gmail is easy to use and helps identify the most qualified candidates. When the job is filled, you can simply stop using the account. Tis eliminates the office or existing staff being bombarded by candidates that are obviously not a good fit.
• Once you post your ad and begin receiving resumes either by hard copy or email, wait several days to review the stack. Reviewing them on an ad hoc basis could raise the bar too high for others to be considered, or rule out otherwise qualified candidates because of salary expectations.
8 Trial Reporter / Spring 2011 •
If the
candidate is obviously not a match, move on to the next.
• Remember, no matter how pretty or lengthy the resume, it should not be your deciding factor.
If
you see some of what you like, consider contacting the candidate to clarify any areas not highlighted. It may surprise you to learn that they have the exact skill you need but didn’t think you needed it. Remember, we all have multiple versions of resumes.
Interviewing:
• Hire slow, fire fast, but do both carefully -- a mantra that good managers use. If you rush to hire out of desperation, you may regret your choice.
• Know your office’s personality. Step back and get to know the personality of your office: every office has one.
socializers, Type A’s? What type of personality are you seeking to fill this job? Once you have answered these questions, it should make it easier to identify your candidate’s personality and decides if it complements the office. Trust me; if you have a laid back office and hire a Type A, you’re going to have problems.
Experience and skills are critical, and personality is key. Face it, you are interviewing a person. Many have the skills or capacity to do the job. Your job is to see if they have the capacity to work with you and your office mates. If the personalities don’t match, you will have bigger problems down the line.
In order to get to know the candidate’s personality, ask open-ended questions not only about their job experience but about them. Remember there are boundaries you cannot cross (see EEOC’s Laws & Guidance section for guidance).
• Occasionally, shut up. In your haste to tell the
candidate all of what he/she will be doing and how busy your firm is, you might forget to take time to get to know the candidate. Tis is an interview, not closing arguments. You need to find out if this is the right person to hire.
If this is the right person, you
will have time to tell them your war stories once the person is on board. Let the candidate talk.
• Consider how the candidate will interact with clients and other employees. Remember, this person will become a reflection of your firm. Caution:
• using Facebook and other social
networking sites as part of your decision. Although the internet has given us venues to “search” people,
Is your firm full of thinkers, relators,
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