Melina Murray

I am in the midst of recruiting multiple positions.  Yes, I know, an anomaly these days.  I sift through emails and resumes every day looking for key words, things that stand out, something that makes the person a potential fit for the job, then calling those potentials to discuss the position.

What I am finding is a great lack of preparation and attention to detail.  I KNOW there are thousands of people out there who really, really need a job.

But.

These are the things that drive me crazy. (any applicants reading, please take notes!)

Initial Email/Resume:

• Addressing the cover letter or email to a competitor.
• Sending me a Word doc with track changes still on and lots of edits.
• writing sentences in lower case without any punctuation making the entire document a run on sentence
• Forgetting to use spell check. (I make typos all the time, but keep my eye out for that little red line before hitting “send”)
• Using IM speak “can u call me”.

First Contact: Let me preface this by saying I almost always set up a call ahead of time. At least 24 hours.

• Not knowing what the company does.
• Not knowing the job description.
• Telling me you just want a job.
• Being unable to map your work history/experience to the position for which you are applying.  (I called you because I saw a potential correlation.  I certainly hope you thought about it before applying.)

I know it is hard for many people right now. I do.  But because there are so many people out there, those who put in the effort to understand the position/company, communicate effectively/professionally and are able to explain why they are a fit will stand out dramatically from the rest.

And, last, but not least…  Please spell my name right when you reply.  It is right there- in my signature and in my email address.

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.  

Sometimes I read an article about a company and think, “Brilliant!! Phenomenal!  Every CEO and HR leader should read this and follow suit!“.Today was one of those days.  Thanks to Twitter, I came across this article from Harvard Business Publishing, Why Zappos Pays Its Employees To Quit- And You Should Too.  It is well worth a read, but can be summed up by the last paragraph: 

Companies don’t engage emotionally with their customers—people do. If you want to create a memorable company, you have to fill your company with memorable people. How are you making sure that you’re filling your organization with the right people? And how much are you willing to pay to find out?          

Evil HR Lady mentioned the site Not Hired in a post yesterday. The site is “Dedicated to all those who wonder why no one has called to set up an interview…now you know”.

I took a look and am completely amused. It’s Friday afternoon- take a look and laugh (or cringe)!

Whenever I look at a company’s website, I always click to their “career” page. I want to see how they portray themselves to potential new hires, how they reflect their culture. It is rare that I have the reaction I did when I clicked on Geneca’s link.

They have it right! The message, the culture, the values, it is all there. Just take a look at the links below to see what I mean.

Click here for the Culture page

Click here for the Values page

My favorite comment:

At Geneca, no one will tell you it is impossible … so long as you have a reasonable dream and unreasonable passion.”

Geneca is an Illinois-based custom software development company.