Sunday, September 23, 2012

#114 chemistry

I will spend today making a two hour drive to meet a candidate for a second interview.  Some may think I am crazy to give up six hours of my weekend for such a purpose, but there is no more important task in my world than hiring the right staff.  

I learned this concept of face-to-face assessment from one of my former bosses.  The first I spoke to him was when he called me up one afternoon to see if I was "free for dinner" --and then flew from St. Louis to Detroit to interview me that night!  His belief was that hiring was all about chemistry and there was no way to assess it via the phone.  He later arranged for me to have a layover in St. Louis on my way back from another interview so that he could make me an offer in person before I had a chance to "get away".  The chemistry was right to this day.

Over the years, I have taken his advice to heart and done many versions of the face-to-face visit.  I have driven 3+ hours each way to meet a candidate in a diner; gone to lunch with prospective candidates in their home city, and flown people in with 24 hours notice to meet with us.  I also like the "speed interviewing" type of 45 minute conversations at a coffee bar before deciding to bring someone in for a full interview -- you can tell a lot about fit in that short time.  (If it is a senior position where fit with you is most important, you can pre-screen and only vet to the group candidates who are acceptable to you and save potential conflict later.)

And, like today, I am a big believer in the second interview.  Rather than hypothesizing about answers or having that lurking doubt out there, I find it better to ask the person face-to-face and resolve any questions directly.  This will happen again today; hopefully, as been the case with my other encounters, I will know what is the right thing for me to do.

The time to make a good hire is ALWAYS less than the time to rectify a bad one.  If you're in the position of making that personnel decision, you'll never regret investing in face-to-face.  Even on a Sunday.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com



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