Good hiring process begins with clarity

In an organization of 25 employees, each individual is quite important to the group. So when one of our key managers left for a position at another BBB, and a longtime leader announced retirement in the spring, we had some big shoes to fill. But we found the perfect person.

I ran an ad in the paper for a vice president of operations, and believe it or not, I received fewer than 10 resumes. Considering all the complaints we hear about the lack of “family wage” jobs in the region, under-employment and a shortage of good positions, I was fairly surprised at the low response to our posted position. The applicants were all of high quality, and using the salary as a gauge, I managed to narrow the pool down to seven scheduled interviews.

Prior to scheduling a face-to-face interview with the candidates, I asked each about salary via e-mail or over the phone. I saw a number of resumes from folks making $20,000 to $40,000 more than the posted position was going to pay, so rather than waste time, I made it quite clear what the salary range was going to be. Obviously, that caused some to drop out.

I set myself up for the seven interviews in one day. My philosophy when interviewing for a key position is that you screen for skills in the resumé stage. The time spent with me should reveal chemistry: can our styles mesh or will they conflict? I used an interviewing tool given to me by a consultant to bring out some honesty and spontaneity in the interview. It was a whole lot of fun.

Of the seven individuals I interviewed, two played tuba in their high school marching band. What are the odds of that? I learned all sorts of things about how people felt about past job experiences, life experiences and communication styles. I learned what they love to do, what they can do and what they will do only if necessary: important things for a potential employer to know about the No. 2 person in the organization.

And then, wow, amidst the potential of the perfect person, I also found two other fine candidates, as well. I called these three choices to set them up for a second interview with current BBB managers, as well as BBB operations staff they would be supervising.

I was questioned about having “subordinates” interview their potential boss. And my answer was, why would I consider any other process? The BBB staff helped me develop the list of qualifications and skills they thought the person needed. One wrote the job advertisement, and all helped with the job description.

Why have current staffers help with such a task? They have to work with this person. (Many of us spend more time with co-workers than anyone else in our lives.) Also, if they have some ownership of the interview and selection process they are invested in the success of their choice. Someone asked me what I would do if they selected someone I did not approve of, and that wasn’t even a concern because they only saw my “cream of the crop” choices.

During the second interview we again discussed salary, knowing that one of these three would most likely become the new VP of operations.

The management team and operations staff spent 30 minutes with each candidate. I asked the BBB staff to wait until all three candidates were interviewed before they made any comments, came to any conclusions or gave any feedback. The managers gave me their recommendation first, and they, too felt we found the perfect person. Then the BBB staff came to the same conclusion about the same person the management team was leaning towards.

How lucky could we get? We all agreed on someone who was ready to leave a high-pressure corporate environment and move into doing something that made a difference. We were assured that the salary reduction and shift to the nonprofit world was fine.

I checked references. Having lived in Spokane for seven years now, I knew enough people that I could make a call or two and get more than the rote “employment verification” spiel. Everything checked out, and I offered the position to our perfect person. What a find for us. Wrong.

When I called to give her the good news, the candidate asked if she could think about it. I said sure, just call me in the morning. Strange, I thought. What was there to think about?

She called and turned down the offer. It came down to money. I fully understand entering into negotiations knowing you can seek 10 percent to 15 percent more, but not 50!

What went wrong here? Who was harmed?

The two really great individuals we did not select were set aside, to avoid being seen as our second choice, or that we settled for second best.

Four managers and eight staff people wasted half a day interviewing, not to mention my full day of interviews.

I am entering round two of the resume/interview/screening process a bit more cynical than before.

There are a few other things I learned in this process:

• If e-mail is part of the process, be sure you proofread your materials first: spell check, get the right name on the cover letter, and make sure you have the correct company name.

• Follow up with an e-mail if you do not hear. You have the right to expect a response.

• When asked about salary range, don’t play games. Just give a range you can live with.

• Ask for feedback after an interview, but only if you can handle any honest responses.