Information on how your candidates have performed on jobs in the

past IS getting harder to get, but the following tips will make it possible
for you to ferret out the truth. For more, check out Robert Halfs book,
Finding, Hiring and Keeping the Best Employees (Wiley, 1993).
Does your application encourage people to tell the truth?
People like to embellish the past. Reduce that temptation by writing on
your application, anyone who provides false information is subject to
dismissal and by telling candidates that their information will be verified.
Do you make the best use of references?
Ask for at least ten references, instead of the usual three. This will
force most candidates to list those with a more balanced view of
them. Then start calling from the BOTTOM of the list.
Do you emphasize your interest in honesty?
Tell both candidates and references that you believe no one is perfect
and that you discount purely positive recommendations.
Are you calling the best references?
Studies show that references from people in HR departments sound
like clips from the TV-show Dragnet, just the facts maam. To get the
best information, contact people who have actually worked with the
candidate, the higher up the better.
Are you getting the most from your references?
Studies show that written references are considered reliable by only
37% of those surveyed, compared to 51% when the reference is given
over the phone and 70% when given during a personal visit. You cant
visit references for every candidate, but when filling a really important
position, try doing a few in person.
Do you double-check negative references?
Perhaps the candidate and the referring person had a personality conflict.
Perhaps the manager was upset about losing the candidate. Dont take
any one reference at face value. Double-check any that stand out, and
evaluate them all as a package.
By the way, the importance of checking references doesnt apply only
to employees. I got an email once from a supervisor whod seen her
newest temp on TV. Trouble was, it was on Americas Most Wanted.
How do you approach job references when hiring?
Checking references never seems to make it to the top of my to-do list, 23.4%
I call them all, 37.9%
I call a few, 38.5%
Our winning strategy for dealing with references comes from Susan T. from Oakland, CA. Im an employment lawyer and
tell our employees that if they carefully and consistently checked references, I would be out of a job. The first rule on
checking references is to actually DO it. You would be amazed at the number of times it just doesnt get done because people
think they are too busy and that their impressions just have to be accurate. I like to suggest requesting second-generation
references. Ask the people listed as references to give the names and numbers of others who worked with the applicant.
Often these are the most candid references of all.
I always check references but it seems
like companies are so scared of being
sued, they wont tell you anything at
all. Short of hiring a detective, what
can you do?
CHECK IT OUT
Your letter got me thinking about my
brothers twentieth high school re-
union. Jay ambled in and spotted
someone who looked vaguely famil-
iar. Whatcha been doing? he asked.
Oh, I been up at the state pen, the
guy answered. The state pen? Jay
asked. Yeah. Ten years. Armed rob-
bery. Jay did a double-take, then
talked to the guy for a while, then
went off to mingle. Whats up? he
asked the next person. I dont know,
the guy answered. I just got out of
the big house.
Now, I believe that everyone deserves
a second chance, and that you dont
necessarily need to know a persons
entire history. But you do need to
know how your candidates have per-
formed on jobs in the past.
Dear
CHECK
W.W.
Dear
by Bob Rosner
WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO
CHECKING REFERENCES?
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Do you start the hiring process by thinking about the last
person you fired?
Reflecting on the pain, hassle and cost of firing someone will remind
you how important it is to hire right the first time. It will motivate you
to put in the time and effort the task deserves.
Do you search as broadly as you should?
Remember the days when all it took to fill a position was a call to your
local classifieds listings? No more. Todays successful companies plaster
web sites with help wanted ads, look worldwide for candidates, even
hire employees with no training in their industry if those individuals
have the personality traits they need. Dont handicap your effort by
keeping your search too narrow.
Do you get everyone involved in the search process?
Several Silicon Valley firms have begun to offer prizes to employees
who lead them to talented new recruits. So should you! Hiring is too
important to leave to Personnel. Get ALL your personnel involved.
Do you make personal calls to the candidates you want to
meet with?
Phone calls, remember them? Thats how we used to communicate
before email. Revert to tradition. A short phone call can give you a feel
for them and their interest in working with you. Sure, some people
dont come across on the phone, but what you learn about the rest can
spare you lots of hassle later.
Do you give them an interview assignment?
Keep it simple, but ask potential hires to visit a store, plant, campus,
office or web site before their interviews. Tell them youre interested in
hearing their observations. Youll get a sense of how they do with follow-
through. Plus, youll benefit from their outsiders view.
Try these tips, because unless you score talented employees, it will be
tough for you to even hit the green.
If you were hiring someone, which would carry the most weight?
References, 3.9%
Expertise, 23.8%
Attitude, 72.2%
Our winning strategy for hiring great employees comes from in Ed M. in Torrence, CA. First, what are the natural skills this
position needs? Second, what skills can be learned by the employee? For example, if its a sales position being filled, I look
for a salesperson. Ill teach them what theyll be selling (as long as theres an interest on their part). And finally, does the job
require a committed problem solver? The smartest person doesnt always get the answer because their frustration level
reaches its height before the problem is solved. Knowing more than the other candidate may not be the better hire over the
person who will doggedly keep working on it until he/she figures it out.
For the first time were having a hard
time finding excellent employees. Is
this par for the course today or are
we doing something wrong?
HIRING BLANKS
Hitting a hole in one is a challenge.
Just ask Todd Obuchowski. He was on
the 116 yard, par three, fourth hole in
Lawrenceville, Massachusetts when he
hit a long drive. A really long drive. It
went over the green, onto a highway,
ricocheted off the passenger side of a
car, bounced back to the green, and
rolled into the cup for a hole in one.
Hard to believe? Nancy Bachan has a
divot in her car to back up his story.
So what does that have to do with
hiring? Everything. If you want to hit
a hole in one next time you hire an
employee, you, too, should be prepared
to bounce around-because in todays
tight labor market, the route to great
employees is nowhere near as straight
and simple as it used to be. Here are
some questions to help you recruit the
best in todays challenging hiring en-
vironment. For more advice, check out
Hiring Smart by Pierre Mornell (10
Speed, 1999).
Dear
BLANKS
HOW DO YOU HIRE
THE BEST PEOPLE?
by Bob Rosner
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W.W.
Dear
Does your company reach out to diverse groups?
Remember the scene in the movie Casablanca when Claude Rains, the
police inspector, says, round up all the usual suspects? Well, that
describes how most companies go about recruiting: they go back to the
same old sources again and again instead of seeking new, minority-
oriented ones. To find minority candidates, go to publications, professional
groups, universities and associations that have large minority memberships.
Does your company provide support and training for
promising internal candidates?
Often companies have diamonds in the rough who, with a little training
and support, could become contenders. Try offering mentor relationships
and special training programs to promising minority employees.
Does your company involve minority employees in
recruiting?
Your company should use its existing minority employees to build
bridges to their own communities. They should ask employees advice
on how to find qualified candidates, should ask them to help make
contacts, and should reward them for participating in the recruitment
program.
Is your companys motivation to meet legal requirements or
to gain a competitive advantage?
Your companys goal should be to gain a strategic advantage over the
competition by better representing the communities in which you op-
erate, rather than just trying to hit affirmative action targets.
If your company follows each of these strategies, the diversity of your
workforce should grow. You and your HR director will be on the same
wavelength and you wont have to split hairs.
How do you feel about your company putting a lot of
time and effort into recruiting a diverse workforce?
A waste of time and effort, 22.9%
A requirement for success today, 27.9%
Valuable, but not essential, 49%
Our winning strategy for handling diversity comes from Susan K. in San
Francisco, CA. Understand that, for historically-based survival needs, we
people of color have learned that its often best to be quiet, to down-play
our strengths, etc. Unfortunately, this doesnt show us off at interviews.
Dont write someone off because they havent trumpeted their own
strengths. Also remember that once you hire a minority person that you
have not just hired another European American dressed in a different kind
of body. This person may have a different world-view than a European
American person might have. Dont be afraid; most of us dont bite, even
when were expressing a different viewpoint than you do.
My company claims that its trying
to recruit minority employees but
everyone who gets hired is white.
When I asked about this, the director
of HR told me they dont get many
minority candidates. I find that hard
to believe. How can I tell if thats bull,
and what can I do to get them to hire
more minorities?
WORKING AT CAUCASIAN, INC.
Take a lesson from Phillip McCrory
of Huntsville, Alabama. Phil developed
a promising strategy for cleaning up
oil spills on the high seas. Hes not a
scientist or oil industry researcher. Hes
a hairdresser-which is what gave him
the idea of filling a mesh pillowcase
full of hair to collect the oil. Sound
flaky? Well, a scientist with NASA
estimated that if Exxon had had pil-
lowcases full of hair back in 1989, they
could have cleaned up the entire
Exxon Valdez spill in a single week. (It
would have been a case of hair today,
gone tomorrow . . .)
Well, the oil retrieval biz isnt the only
one in which valuable resources come
from unexpected places. Companies that
have successfully built diverse
workforces have found that they needed
to tap unexpected places, too. Fortu-
nately, Diane Arthurs book, Recruit-
ing, Interviewing, Selecting and Orient-
ing New Employees (Amacom, 1998)
offers tips that can help companies stop
pulling out their hair and start devel-
oping strategies to recruit qualified
minority candidates. I recommend it to
your HR director because unless your
company is doing all these things, hes
probably right: you arent getting as
many minority candidatesasyou should.
Dear
CAUCASIAN
by Bob Rosner
HOW DO YOU BUILD A
DIVERSE WORKFORCE?
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W.W.
Dear
Our company has never had a formal
program for orienting new employ-
ees. Ive just hired a bunch of new
people and it seems like a good thing
to start doing, but I dont even know
where to begin.
SHOW ME THE ROPES
One of my favorite annual events is
the Wacky Warning Labels contest. I
just love reading all the things that
businesses-and their lawyers-think we
consumers need to know. Last years
winner was a label attached to a
clothes iron that said, Never iron
clothes while they are being worn.
With companiesproducing labelslike that
youd think wed be great at orienting
new employees, wouldnt you? But
somehow we seem to give them hardly
any warning at all. Even companies
that have employee orientation pro-
grams rarely tell them the stuff they
really need to know. As you plan your
program, consider the following ques-
tions. For more ideas, check out Jean
Barbazettes book, Successful New
Employee Orientation (Pfeiffer, 1994).
Dear
ROPES
W.W.
Dear
by Bob Rosner
HOW DO YOU
SUCCESSFULLY ORIENT
NEW EMPLOYEES?
Who ARE all these people and what do they do?
Sure, youll give your new employees an organizational chart listing
all your people and their titles. But as we all know, the org chart tells
only part of the story. Your rookies also need to know who the movers
and shakers are, whom to approach with what kind of problem, and
whom to avoid like the plague. Take months off their learning curve by
giving them the inside scoop.
Where do I go when I get stuck?
You probably dont want every rookie coming to you with every ques-
tion. So create a buddy system. Pair up your new hires with old-timers
who can teach them the ropes. If you pick your buddies carefully, this
will be a morale and productivity booster for both parties.
Help! Wheres the bathroom?
Remember your first day at Company X when you shook 27 hands,
smiled at 52 faces, learned how to use the phones and how to file
benefits claims forms, were shown 5 copy machines, 3 bathrooms, 2
conference rooms, 1 lunchroom, and remembered none of it? Spare
your new employees. Show them the really essential stuff-then let their
buddies do the rest later when theyre ready to absorb more. And give
them written instructions for any machines theyll need to use.
How do I get paid?
A new employees paycheck may not be a burning issue for you, but,
guaranteed, it is for him. Make sure he knows everything he needs to
know to get paid on time right from the start.
What are the rules around here?
Youve given your new recruits the company handbook. Now give them
the UNWRITTEN rules. Tell them what the sacred cows are. Warn them
about potential landmines. Protect them from unexpected shrapnel.
Write the right kind of warning labels for your new employees and you
just might be surprised at a totally wacky result: theyll be able to hit
the ground running from the very start.
What is your approach to new employee orientation?
Let them figure it out on their own, 14.3%
Give em a little, 35.8%
Give em a lot, 49.7%
Our winning strategy for dealing with new employees comes from Renee D. in Cyberspace.
We found managers were not always the best people to provide orientation because they dont remember not knowing what
they now know. So we give each new person a mentor. We also have a follow up workshop testing them on what theyve
learned in a fun way about 6 weeks later. If they didnt know it by then, they do by the time they left that workshop. In
summary, hire the right person for the company culture, team and the specific job. That will take care of most problems.
Then help them know what is expected of them and theyll give you 150%.
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My little company just landed a big
order from a huge warehouse chain. I
need to ramp up my business but Im
nervousabout hiring permanent workers
because theres no guarantee that well
keep the new business. On the other
hand Ive always had rotten luck hiring
temps. What should I do?
FROM FAMINE TO FEAST
Do you treat a rental car as carefully
as you treat your own? On second
thought, dont answer that question;
just listen to this story. My friend John
once rented a car that had a mechanical
device on it that prevented the car
from going over 60 mph. Well, being
industrious-and in a hurry-J ohn
figured out that he could go as fast as
he wanted just by accelerating the car
and putting it into neutral right before
the speedometer hit 60. Terrific! Until
one time he accidentally overshot
neutral and put the car into reverse. .
. Describing the experience later he
adapted the old United Negro College
Fund slogan. A transmission, he
observed, is a terrible thing to waste.
Dear
FEAST
W.W.
Dear
by Bob Rosner
IF YOU WERE THE BOSS,
HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE
TEMPORARY WORKERS?
Well, sad to say, many companies treat temporary workers the way
drivers treat rental cars: they drive them into the ground. The problem
with that is that even though theyre called temporary, misplaced or
abused temps can cause permanent damage to your business. Or, in
your case, to your feelings about hiring temps again. But temps can be
a boon to your business. You just need to hire the right ones-and then
treat them carefully while theyre there.
I turned to Dick Patton of Express Personnel Services to learn the secrets
of hiring temps. His observations should also provide some insight to
anyone out there whod like to be hired as a temp. Ive adapted his
suggestions below.
Have you checked their references?
Although a recent Working Wounded poll found that only 5% of those
surveyed admitted to lying on their resumes, experts say many more
people than that actually play it fast and loose with the truth. So dont
slack off just because theyre temps. Be sure that either you or your
agency check all references.
Has the agency checked their skills before they show up at
your door?
Temp agencies have skill tests for almost every job. Make sure they
use them. Demand to see only qualified candidates.
Are you hiring a temp from a temp?
It may seem like prying, but always ask to speak to former customers
of the person who will be selecting your temps. The temp industry,
itself, is a high-turnover business. You want to be sure the person
youre working with has a track record of making good choices.
So the moral of the story is: hire your temporary workers correctly and
theyll accelerate your business. Hire them badly and they can throw
your company into reverse. And, as my friend John would agree, your
business would be a terrible thing to waste.
If your company got flooded with new business would you consider hiring temps if you were
calling the shots?
No Temps (Id just say no), 15%
Lots of Temps (The smart way to go), 38%
Temps in Moderation (Just go slow), 47%.
Our top temp strategy came from Michele in Bellevue, WA. Im a temp and my employer has given me my own email
account. The best thing you can do for a temp is treat them like any other employee and youll be amazed at the results.
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