Melina Murray

Do you stick to the standard interview questions? 

Do you read through someone’s resume asking questions about past jobs?

Do you sit across from them at a desk or conference room table?

Do you interview alone, or with multiple people in the room?

On average, how many interviews does someone go through before you make them an offer?

IDEAS

Ask Non-Standard Questions

I am a firm believer (and practitioner) of going outside the standard/norm.  Asking questions that throw off the interviewee gives me a glimpse into the real person.  And, in general, I rarely go over their resume in the first interview.  It got them in the door, but I want to learn more about the actual person who wants to join the team. Fit is so important, especially when working on a team.  

Ask Questions That Test Qualities You Desire

One manager I worked with tended to challenge candidates during the interview to see how they handled conflict.  He would make an obviously wrong statement, then see if they would respond or tell him he was wrong.  (Only about 50% did so.)  The purpose behind this approach was specific to the team- it was a problem solving team, so any hires would need to be able to debate, challenge and engage their peers and manager.

Gauge Actual Interest

One of the most important questions I ask in an interview is “Tell me what you know about this company”.  If the person is serious in their interest, I expect them to have at least a general understanding of the company, to have looked through the website and be able to tell me some basic facts. Although I continue the interview beyond that question, those who say “I don’t know” or get it completely wrong usually don’t make it to a second.  The interest, passion and desire to learn are just not present.

Find Out What Motivates Them

I will often ask what about a job makes the candidate excited to go to work everyday. Some give answers relating to contributing, learning, making a difference.  Sadly, I also hear “getting a paycheck”. (yes, people are sometimes that honest) If a person’s prime motivator is simply a paycheck, do you want them on your team? 

Make Sure More Than One Person Interviews a Candidate

Some people are better at gauging a candidate’s fit, some are better at uncovering job-specific skills. Making sure at least 2 different people interview a candidate during the process ensures a broader scope of skills and fit are covered.  

The other day, I called UPS’s customer service to ask about a package I was expecting.  The website said delivery was attempted, but no one rang my doorbell or left a notice.  It seems UPS has an escalation unit for issues like this.  They take your information and someone calls within an hour.

My call came 15 minutes later.  The woman on the phone was incredibly friendly and started the conversation with “Hi hon”.  Then proceeded to call me “hon” throughout the call as she explained how she was making sure my package would be delivered in 30 minutes.    

I felt like I was talking to the owner of a small business who wanted to make sure her client was fully satisfied. This was a new and different experience in dealing with a huge corporation.  For some reason, the genuine use of “hon” made all the difference.

And, my package was delivered as she promised.

I can’t imagine she was trained to use terms of endearment on strangers, but this woman’s natural people skills made all the difference to me that day.

One of the sessions I attended at the SHRM conference was about staying competitive with benefits.  The presentation itself was full of useful data, much gleaned from this year’s Best Companies to Work For winners and current SHRM surveys, but it made me think about the overall “benefit” of benefits.

Sure they are a great tool for recruiting (when they are good).  And employees do appreciate having a variety of benefits.

However, just offering benefits does not make a great place to work.  There are 2 factors that can impact the initial draw. 

First

Adding different or unique benefits, beyond the standard health/life insurance and retirement plans has become more popular.  But if it is on paper only, the result may be the opposite of what was intended.

Having a program for employee recognition sounds like a great idea.  Except when no one uses it. Or when only certain departments use it. 

Employee of the Month awards are pretty cool too.  Until they become a last minute retention tool, are used in only some departments or become a vehicle for publicaly rewarding “favorites”.

Offering education assistance is a draw for many potential employees.  Yet, constantly denying (legitimate) requests leads to frustration.

While posting and touting benefits can help you get people in the door, once in, they expect to see them in action. 

Does your company offer unique benefits?  If so, are these providing value to your employees (and/or to you)? Are these benefits useful in retention as well as recruitment?

Second

Unfulfilling work and poor management.  This is a morale killer.  Managers who are not present, available or helpful end up with staff who are unmotivated, frustrated and unproductive.   Lack of communication from management and company leadership is one of the top complaints I hear from employees.  Boredom and lack of a challenge is another.  

Cool benefits are only “cool” if they enhance the environment.  

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You can check out the recently released 2008 winners of the Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America.

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Today ends the SHRM 2008 conference. It was an interesting experience, my first.

On the volunteer side, I really enjoyed seeing some of the behind the scenes logistics. I have worked many events in the past and was impressed by the set-up and, more importantly, attitude of all the people I met/saw working on the conference. In addition, the people I met while volunteering were awesome.

As for the conference itself, I have to say one or two days would have been enough for me. I walked the show floor and talked to many, many people in about 3 hours. (then walked it again, trying to avoid gifts, bags, toys, etc) The rest of the time was spent talking to people in lines, at tables and other random locations. The variety of types of vendors was interesting. I was surprised to see network security and entry access system companies. However, in small businesses where the Office Manager handles both HR and operations, I can see how that may be valuable.

Something Laurie Ruettimann (PunkRockHR) said in one of her posts during the conference made me laugh and resonated with my own experience.

One woman asked me, “What do you do?”

I told her that I blogged about HR issues, and she told me that blogs make her nervous.

Another guy asked me what I’m writing about. I said, “HR stuff.”

He said, “What’s the name of your publication?”

I said, “Punk Rock HR.”

He said, “Yeah. Okay.” Then he walked away from me.

So much for networking!

I had a similar experience when talking to one of the executives from SHRM.  He walked up to introduce himself and was friendly until he asked who I work for.  I said “Myself. I have my own company and work with small businesses.”   He looked surprised, said “Oh. OK. Excuse me.” and walked away.  What a way to end a conversation.  

It seems the general demographic of the conference is mid-sized to larger businesses.  While I met a few small business HR pros and some independent consultants, the vast majority of attendees seemed to come from large companies.  Interestingly, I had to curtail my use of the word “blog” when talking to people as I was constantly met with blank looks.  Sad.

One of the things that surprised me most was that there was no filter or sense of privacy in many discussions.  Whether talking to people, or sitting next to someone on the phone, I learned so much about things I shouldn’t know.  Executive salaries, serious legal issues, layoffs, terminations (with names), etc. (and the company names)  If I were some sort of HR gossip columnist, this information would have been a gold mine. 

In the end, I am happy I attended- both as a volunteer and as an attendee.  Between meeting some amazing people and gathering little nuggets of information, SHRM 2008 was well worth it.

It is lunchtime at the SHRM conference and as I walk around, I am astounded by the number of people eating alone, not talking to anyone. I took a quick tour from outside all the way back to the very top/back to see if it was just some people. Nope. It holds true all the way through. I would say about 70% of those in the hallways, rest areas (sofas/chairs), outside, and in any public space are enjoying (or not) alone time. Not reading, not working, just eating. Those at tables were in groups, talking, enjoying themselves.

Does a table make it easier to talk to strangers? Are people afraid to sit together on the floor? Is there a perception that networking is only on the floor or during sessions? Is everyone already exhausted from the morning? Or is this group generally not very comfortable interacting with strangers? I wonder.